Releasing the break on X chromosome inactivation: Rnf12/RLIM targets REX1 for degradation.
One of the two X chromosomes in cells of female mammals is transcriptionally silenced in a process known as X chromosome inactivation (XCI). Initiation of XCI is regulated by the ubiquitin ligase Rnf12/RLIM, but the mechanisms by which Rnf12/RLIM mediates this process has been a mystery. A recent study by Gontan et al. shows that Rnf12/RLIM targets REX1, an inhibitor of XCI, for proteasomal degradation, providing an answer to this question.
Program in Gene Function & Expression, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA. ingolf.bach@umassmed.edu
Ingolf
I
Bach
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*; D049951:X Chromosome Inactivation
D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; C513672:Zfp42 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; C077885:XIST non-coding RNA; C120758:Rlim protein, mouse; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases