title: Equality of the sexes: found in translation.
abstract: Male fruit flies (and humans) have half the number of X chromosomes that females have, yet the expression of X-linked proteins in males is the same because of a sex-specific compensatory mechanism. In this issue of Cell, report that a unique two-stage translation silencing mechanism thwarts synthesis of a male-specific transcription activator in female flies, ensuring that gene dosage compensation occurs only in males.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, The Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Partho Sarothi
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000235:genetics; D034622:RNA Interference / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*