title: X-chromosome inactivation in development and cancer.
abstract: X-chromosome inactivation represents an epigenetics paradigm and a powerful model system of facultative heterochromatin formation triggered by a non-coding RNA, Xist, during development. Once established, the inactive state of the Xi is highly stable in somatic cells, thanks to a combination of chromatin associated proteins, DNA methylation and nuclear organization. However, sporadic reactivation of X-linked genes has been reported during ageing and in transformed cells and disappearance of the Barr body is frequently observed in cancer cells. In this review we summarise current knowledge on the epigenetic changes that accompany X inactivation and discuss the extent to which the inactive X chromosome may be epigenetically or genetically perturbed in breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Mammalian Developmental Epigenetics Group, Genetics and Developmental Biology Unit, Institut Curie, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, 75248 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Ronan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chaligné
authors.affiliation: Mammalian Developmental Epigenetics Group, Genetics and Developmental Biology Unit, Institut Curie, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, 75248 Paris, France. Electronic address: Edith.Heard@curie.fr.
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D049951:X Chromosome Inactivation
keywords: Cancer; Chromatin; Development; Epigenetics; X-chromosome inactivation