title: Differential spatial and structural organization of the X chromosome underlies dosage compensation in C. elegans.
abstract: The adjustment of X-linked gene expression to the X chromosome copy number (dosage compensation [DC]) has been widely studied as a model of chromosome-wide gene regulation. In Caenorhabditis elegans, DC is achieved by twofold down-regulation of gene expression from both Xs in hermaphrodites. We show that in males, the single X chromosome interacts with nuclear pore proteins, while in hermaphrodites, the DC complex (DCC) impairs this interaction and alters X localization. Our results put forward a structural model of DC in which X-specific sequences locate the X chromosome in transcriptionally active domains in males, while the DCC prevents this in hermaphrodites.
authors.affiliation: Cell Fate and Nuclear Organization, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, UMR 5672, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 69007 Lyon, France;
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jost
authors.affiliation: Division of Gene Regulation, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1006 Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
authors.forename: Jop
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kind
authors.affiliation: Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gómez-Saldivar
authors.affiliation: Division of Gene Regulation, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1006 Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
authors.forename: Bas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Steensel
authors.affiliation: Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), The Junta of Andalusia (JA), Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology (CABD), 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Askjaer
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, UMR 5672, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 69007 Lyon, France;
authors.forename: Cédric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaillant
authors.affiliation: Cell Fate and Nuclear Organization, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; peter.meister@izb.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meister
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D004303:Dosage Compensation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D057850:Hermaphroditic Organisms / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: C. elegans; dosage compensation; nuclear organization; nuclear pores