Equality of the sexes: found in translation.
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.
Ray
Partho Sarothi
PS
Department of Cell Biology, The Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
Fox
Paul L
PL
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*