Georgiev, P., Chlamydas, S., Akhtar, A. (2011). Drosophila dosage compensation: Males are from Mars, females are from Venus. Fly 5(2): 147--154.
FlyBase ID
FBrf0213798
Publication Type
Review
Abstract
Dosage compensation of X-linked genes is a phenomenon of concerted, chromosome-wide regulation of gene expression underpinned by sustained and tightly regulated histone modifications and chromatin remodeling, coupled with constrains of nuclear architecture. This elaborate process allows the accomplishment of regulated expression of genes on the single male X chromosome to levels comparable to those expressed from the two X chromosomes in females. The ribonucleoprotein Male Specific Lethal (MSL) complex is enriched on the male X chromosome and is intricately involved in this process in Drosophila melanogaster. In this review we discuss the recent advances that highlight the complexity lying behind regulation of gene expression by just two-fold.
