SiRNA that participates in Drosophila dosage compensation is produced by many 1.688X and 359 bp repeats.

ABSTRACT: Organisms with differentiated sex chromosomes must accommodate unequal gene dosage in males and females. Male fruit flies increase X-linked gene expression to compensate for hemizygosity of their single X chromosome. Full compensation requires localization of the Male-Specific Lethal (MSL) complex to active genes on the male X, where it modulates chromatin to elevate expression. The mechanisms that identify X chromatin are poorly understood. The euchromatic X is enriched for AT-rich, ∼359 bp satellites termed the 1.688X repeats. Autosomal insertions of 1.688X DNA enable MSL recruitment to nearby genes. Ectopic expression of dsRNA from one of these repeats produces siRNA and partially restores X-localization of MSLs in males with defective X recognition. Surprisingly, expression of double-s

SUBMITTER: Biswas S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11228850 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature