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The long and the short of it: RNA‐directed chromatin asymmetry in mammalian X‐chromosome inactivation
Author(s) -
Kanduri Chandrasekhar,
Whitehead Joanne,
Mohammad Faizaan
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.02.004
Subject(s) - xist , chromatin , dicer , biology , x inactivation , prc2 , genetics , rna , heterochromatin , long non coding rna , rna interference , epigenetics , microbiology and biotechnology , rna induced silencing complex , x chromosome , chromosome , gene , ezh2
Mammalian X‐chromosome inactivation is controlled by a multilayered silencing pathway involving both short and long non‐coding RNAs, which differentially recruit the epigenetic machinery to establish chromatin asymmetries. In response to developmentally regulated small RNAs, dicer, a key effector of RNA interference, locally silences Xist on the active X‐chromosome and establishes the heterochromatin conformation along the silent X‐chromosome. The 1.6 kb RepA RNA initiates silencing by targeting the PRC2 polycomb complex to the inactive X‐chromosome. In addition, the nuclear microenvironment is implicated in the initiation and maintenance of X‐chromosome asymmetries. Here we review new findings involving these various RNA species in terms of understanding Xist gene regulation and the establishment of X‐chromosome inactivation.