| Literature DB >> 24173285 |
Eugénie Pessia1, Jan Engelstädter, Gabriel A B Marais.
Abstract
Ohno's hypothesis states that dosage compensation in mammals evolved in two steps: a twofold hyperactivation of the X chromosome in both sexes to compensate for gene losses on the Y chromosome, and silencing of one X (X-chromosome inactivation, XCI) in females to restore optimal dosage. Recent tests of this hypothesis have returned contradictory results. In this review, we explain this ongoing controversy and argue that a novel view on dosage compensation evolution in mammals is starting to emerge. Ohno's hypothesis may be true for a few, dosage-sensitive genes only. If so few genes are compensated, then why has XCI evolved as a chromosome-wide mechanism? This and several other questions raised by the new data in mammals are discussed, and future research directions are proposed.Mesh:
Year: 2013 PMID: 24173285 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1499-6
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Cell Mol Life Sci ISSN: 1420-682X Impact factor: 9.261