BAF complex-mediated chromatin relaxation is required for establishment of X chromosome inactivation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35351876.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-29333-1 and PMC identifier 8964718.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The process of epigenetic silencing, while fundamentally important, is not yet completely understood. Here we report a replenishable female mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) system, Xmas, that allows rapid assessment of X chromosome inactivation (XCI), the epigenetic silencing mechanism of one of the two X chromosomes that enables dosage compensation in female mammals. Through a targeted genetic screen in differentiating Xmas mESCs, we reveal that the BAF complex is required to create nucleosome-depleted regions at promoters on the inactive X chromosome during the earliest stages of establishment of XCI. Without this action gene silencing fails. Xmas mESCs provide a tractable model for screen-based approaches that enable the discovery of unknown facets of the female-specific process of XCI and epigenetic silencing more broadly.
Medical subject headings
- RNA, Long Noncoding
- X Chromosome Inactivation