Vol.26 No.4£¨2004 August£©£º389-393 X Chromosome Inactivation in Mammalian Shi-Yong Xu, Hong-Lin Liu* £¨College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China£© Abstract: In mammals, equal dosage of X-linked genes between the sexes is achieved by X chromosome inactivation in a random or imprinted manner in early embryonic development of females. It is a complex process including initiation, counting, choice and maintenance. X inactivation center is the master control locus of the X chromosome inactivation and regulates the early events of X inactivation. Once the X inactivation happened the inactivation state can be stably delivered to generations. This involves genome imprinted. In addition, in males, the X chromosome is inactivated together with Y chromosome in spermatogenic cells shortly before or during early meiotic prophase. This article reviews the recent advances in X chromosome inactivation in mammalian. Key words: X chromosome inactivation; X inactivation center; genomic imprinting; meiotic sex chromosome inactivation *Corresponding author. Tel: 86-25-84395278, E-mail: ggcpc@njau.edu.cn |