title: The "lnc" between 3D chromatin structure and X chromosome inactivation.
abstract: The long non-coding RNA Xist directs a remarkable instance of developmentally regulated, epigenetic change known as X Chromosome Inactivation (XCI). By spreading in cis across the X chromosome from which it is expressed, Xist RNA facilitates the creation of a heritably silent, heterochromatic nuclear territory that displays a three-dimensional structure distinct from that of the active X chromosome. How Xist RNA attaches to and propagates across a chromosome and its influence over the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the inactive X are aspects of XCI that have remained largely unclear. Here, we discuss studies that have made significant contributions towards answering these open questions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pandya-Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: KPlath@mednet.ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Plath
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000378:metabolism; D049951:X Chromosome Inactivation / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; C077885:XIST non-coding RNA
keywords: Chromosome conformation; Heterochromatin; Non-coding RNA; X chromosome inactivation Xist