Identification of genes escaping X inactivation by allelic expression analysis in a novel hybrid mouse model.

ABSTRACT: X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a female-specific mechanism that serves to balance gene dosage between the sexes whereby one X chromosome in females is inactivated during early development. Despite this silencing, a small portion of genes escape inactivation and remain expressed from the inactive X (Xi). Little is known about the distribution of escape from XCI in different tissues in vivo and about the mechanisms that control tissue-specific differences. Using a new binomial model in conjunction with a mouse model with identifiable alleles and skewed X inactivation we are able to survey genes that escape XCI in vivo. We show that escape from X inactivation can be a common feature of some genes, whereas others escape in a tissue specific manner. Furthermore, we characterize the chromati

SUBMITTER: Berletch JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4659812 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature