scholarly journals Dosage compensation in sciarids is achieved by hypertranscription of the single X chromosome in males.

Genetics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 787-790
Author(s):  
P R da Cunha ◽  
B Granadino ◽  
A L Perondini ◽  
L Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Different Doses

Abstract Dosage compensation refers to the process whereby females and males with different doses of sex chromosomes have similar amounts of products from sex chromosome-linked genes. We analyzed the process of dosage compensation in Sciara ocellaris, Diptera of the suborder Nematocera. By autoradiography and measurements of X-linked rRNA in females (XX) and males (XO), we found that the rate of transcription of the single X chromosome in males is similar to that of the two X chromosomes in females. This, together with the bloated appearance of the X chromosome in males, support the idea that in sciarids dosage compensation is accomplished by hypertranscription of the X chromosome in males.

scholarly journals Bisection of the X chromosome disrupts the initiation of chromosome silencing during meiosis in Caenorhabditis elegans

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yisrael Rappaport ◽  
Hanna Achache ◽  
Roni Falk ◽  
Omer Murik ◽  
Oren Ram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Transcription Analysis ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Unique Character ◽  
Active Transcription ◽  
Heterogametic Sex

AbstractDuring meiosis, gene expression is silenced in aberrantly unsynapsed chromatin and in heterogametic sex chromosomes. Initiation of sex chromosome silencing is disrupted in meiocytes with sex chromosome-autosome translocations. To determine whether this is due to aberrant synapsis or loss of continuity of sex chromosomes, we engineered Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes with non-translocated, bisected X chromosomes. In early meiocytes of mutant males and hermaphrodites, X segments are enriched with euchromatin assembly markers and active RNA polymerase II staining, indicating active transcription. Analysis of RNA-seq data showed that genes from the X chromosome are upregulated in gonads of mutant worms. Contrary to previous models, which predicted that any unsynapsed chromatin is silenced during meiosis, our data indicate that unsynapsed X segments are transcribed. Therefore, our results suggest that sex chromosome chromatin has a unique character that facilitates its meiotic expression when its continuity is lost, regardless of whether or not it is synapsed.

scholarly journals Absence of X-chromosome dosage compensation in the primordial germ cells of Drosophila embryos

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryoma Ota ◽  
Makoto Hayashi ◽  
Shumpei Morita ◽  
Hiroki Miura ◽  
Satoru Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Primordial Germ Cells ◽  
Histone H4 ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Msl Complex ◽  
Male Specific

AbstractDosage compensation is a mechanism that equalizes sex chromosome gene expression between the sexes. In Drosophila, individuals with two X chromosomes (XX) become female, whereas males have one X chromosome (XY). In males, dosage compensation of the X chromosome in the soma is achieved by five proteins and two non-coding RNAs, which assemble into the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex to upregulate X-linked genes twofold. By contrast, it remains unclear whether dosage compensation occurs in the germline. To address this issue, we performed transcriptome analysis of male and female primordial germ cells (PGCs). We found that the expression levels of X-linked genes were approximately twofold higher in female PGCs than in male PGCs. Acetylation of lysine residue 16 on histone H4 (H4K16ac), which is catalyzed by the MSL complex, was undetectable in these cells. In male PGCs, hyperactivation of X-linked genes and H4K16ac were induced by overexpression of the essential components of the MSL complex, which were expressed at very low levels in PGCs. Together, these findings indicate that failure of MSL complex formation results in the absence of X-chromosome dosage compensation in male PGCs.

scholarly journals Parallel Universes for Models of X Chromosome Dosage Compensation in Drosophila: A Review

2016 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Birchler
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Histone Modifiers ◽  
Parallel Universes ◽  
Msl Complex ◽  
High Level

Dosage compensation in Drosophila involves an approximately 2-fold increase in expression of the single X chromosome in males compared to the per gene expression in females with 2 X chromosomes. Two models have been considered for an explanation. One proposes that the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex that is associated with the male X chromosome brings histone modifiers to the sex chromosome to increase its expression. The other proposes that the inverse effect which results from genomic imbalance would tend to upregulate the genome approximately 2-fold, but the MSL complex sequesters histone modifiers from the autosomes to the X to mute this autosomal male-biased expression. On the X, the MSL complex must override the high level of resulting histone modifications to prevent overcompensation of the X chromosome. Each model is evaluated in terms of fitting classical genetic and recent molecular data. Potential paths toward resolving the models are suggested.

scholarly journals Identification of sex chromosomes using genomic and cytogenetic methods in a range-expanding spider, Argiope bruennichi (Araneae: Araneidae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica M Sheffer ◽  
Mathilde M Cordellier ◽  
Martin Forman ◽  
Malte Grewoldt ◽  
Katharina Hoffmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Chromosome Complement ◽  
Gc Content ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Behavioral Experiments ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Male Karyotype ◽  
And Behavior

Differences between sexes in growth, ecology and behavior strongly shape species biology. In some animal groups, such as spiders, it is difficult or impossible to identify the sex of juveniles. This information would be useful for field surveys, behavioral experiments, and ecological studies on e.g. sex ratios and dispersal. In species with sex chromosomes, sex can be determined based on the specific sex chromosome complement. Additionally, information on the sequence of sex chromosomes provides the basis for studying sex chromosome evolution. We combined cytogenetic and genomic data to identify the sex chromosomes in the sexually dimorphic spider Argiope bruennichi, and designed RT-qPCR sex markers. We found that genome size and GC content of this spider falls into the range reported for the majority of araneids. The male karyotype is formed by 24 acrocentric chromosomes with an X1X20 sex chromosome system, with little similarity between X chromosomes, suggesting origin of these chromosomes by X chromosome fission or early duplication of an X chromosome and subsequent independent differentiation of the copies. Our data suggest similarly sized X chromosomes in A. bruennichi. They are smaller chromosomes of the complement. Our findings open the door to new directions in spider evolutionary and ecological research.

scholarly journals Regulation of X-chromosome dosage compensation in human: mechanisms and model systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1733) ◽  
pp. 20160363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sahakyan ◽  
Kathrin Plath ◽  
Claire Rougeulle
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
X Chromosome Inactivation ◽  
Human Cells ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Chromosome Inactivation ◽  
Embryo Research ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Mary Lyon

The human blastocyst forms 5 days after one of the smallest human cells (the sperm) fertilizes one of the largest human cells (the egg). Depending on the sex-chromosome contribution from the sperm, the resulting embryo will either be female, with two X chromosomes (XX), or male, with an X and a Y chromosome (XY). In early development, one of the major differences between XX female and XY male embryos is the conserved process of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI), which compensates gene expression of the two female X chromosomes to match the dosage of the single X chromosome of males. Most of our understanding of the pre-XCI state and XCI establishment is based on mouse studies, but recent evidence from human pre-implantation embryo research suggests that many of the molecular steps defined in the mouse are not conserved in human. Here, we will discuss recent advances in understanding the control of X-chromosome dosage compensation in early human embryonic development and compare it to that of the mouse. This article is part of the themed issue ‘X-chromosome inactivation: a tribute to Mary Lyon’.

Regulation of domains and whole chromosomes

2019 ◽  
pp. 104-122
Author(s):  
John C. Lucchesi
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Ribosomal Rna ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
The Other ◽  
Histone Genes ◽  
Mammalian Embryo ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Coordinate Regulation

Clusters of genes that encode similar products, such as the β‎-globin, the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and the histone genes, are regulated in a coordinated fashion. An extreme case of coordinate regulation—dosage compensation—involves the genes present on the sex chromosomes. In Drosophila males, a complex (MSL) associates with the X chromosome where it enhances the activity of most X-linked genes. In Caenorhabditis, a complex (DCC) decreases the level of transcription of both X chromosomes in the XX hermaphrodite. In mammals, dosage compensation is achieved by the inactivation, early during development, of most X-linked genes on one of the two X chromosomes in females. In the mammalian embryo, X inactivation of either X chromosome is random and clonally inherited. The mechanism involves the synthesis of an RNA (Tsix) that protects one of the two Xs from inactivation, and of another RNA (Xist) that coats the other X chromosome and recruits histone- and DNA-modifying enzymes.

scholarly journals Sequence Differentiation Associated With an Inversion on the Neo-X Chromosome of Drosophila americana

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 165 (3) ◽  
pp. 1317-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryant F McAllister
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Chromosome Evolution ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Sex Chromosome Evolution ◽  
Sequence Analyses ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Y Chromosomes ◽  
Chromosomal Pair

Abstract Sex chromosomes originate from pairs of autosomes that acquire controlling genes in the sex-determining cascade. Universal mechanisms apparently influence the evolution of sex chromosomes, because this chromosomal pair is characteristically heteromorphic in a broad range of organisms. To examine the pattern of initial differentiation between sex chromosomes, sequence analyses were performed on a pair of newly formed sex chromosomes in Drosophila americana. This species has neo-sex chromosomes as a result of a centromeric fusion between the X chromosome and an autosome. Sequences were analyzed from the Alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh), big brain (bib), and timeless (tim) gene regions, which represent separate positions along this pair of neo-sex chromosomes. In the northwestern range of the species, the bib and Adh regions exhibit significant sequence differentiation for neo-X chromosomes relative to neo-Y chromosomes from the same geographic region and other chromosomal populations of D. americana. Furthermore, a nucleotide site defining a common haplotype in bib is shown to be associated with a paracentric inversion [In(4)ab] on the neo-X chromosome, and this inversion suppresses recombination between neo-X and neo-Y chromosomes. These observations are consistent with the inversion acting as a recombination modifier that suppresses exchange between these neo-sex chromosomes, as predicted by models of sex chromosome evolution.

Autoradiographic study of transcription and dosage compensation in the sex and neo-sex chromosome of Drosophila nasuta nasuta and Drosophila nasuta albomicans

Genome ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Mahesh ◽  
N B Ramachandra ◽  
H A Ranganath
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Autoradiographic Study ◽  
The Other ◽  
Chromosomal Races ◽  
Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Drosophila Nasuta ◽  
Drosophila Nasuta Nasuta

Cellular autoradiography is used to study the transcription patterns of the polytene X chromosomes in Drosophila nasuta nasuta and D. n. albomicans. D. n. nasuta, with 2n = 8, includes a pair of complete heteromorphic sex chromosomes, whereas D. n. albomicans, with 2n = 6, has a pair of metacentric neo-sex chromosomes representing incomplete heteromorphic sex chromosomes. The neo-X chromosome has two euchromatic arms, one representing the ancestral X while the other represents the ancestral autosome 3 chromosomes. The metacentric neo-Y chromosome has one arm with a complete heterochromatic ancestral Y and the other arm with a euchromatic ancestral autosome 3. The transcription study has revealed that the X chromosome in D. n. nasuta is hyperactive, suggesting complete dosage compensation, while in the neo-X chromosome of D. n. albomicans the ancestral X chromosome is hyperactive and the ancestral autosome 3, which is part of the neo-sex chromosome, is similar to any other autosomes. This finding shows dosage compensation on one arm (XLx/–) of the neo-X chromosome, while the other arm (XR3/YR3) is not dosage compensated and has yet to acquire the dosage compensatory mechanism.Key words: Drosophila, chromosomal races, neo-sex chromosome, transcription and dosage compensation.

scholarly journals Strong biases in the transmission of sex chromosomes in the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
ADRIEN FRANTZ ◽  
MANUEL PLANTEGENEST ◽  
JOËL BONHOMME ◽  
NATHALIE PRUNIER-LETERME ◽  
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE SIMON
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Rhopalosiphum Padi ◽  
Mendelian Inheritance ◽  
Male Production ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Recessive Mutations ◽  
Evolutionary Consequences ◽  
Genetic Conflicts

The typical life cycle of aphids involves several parthenogenetic generations followed by a single sexual one in autumn, i.e. cyclical parthenogenesis. Sexual females are genetically identical to their parthenogenetic mothers and carry two sex chromosomes (XX). Male production involves the elimination of one sex chromosome (to produce X0) that could give rise to genetic conflicts between X-chromosomes. In addition, deleterious recessive mutations could accumulate on sex chromosomes during the parthenogenetic phase and affect males differentially depending on the X-chromosome they inherit. Genetic conflicts and deleterious mutations thus may induce transmission bias that could be exaggerated in males. Here, the transmission of X-chromosomes has been studied in the laboratory in two cyclically parthenogenetic lineages of the bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi. X-chromosome transmission was followed, using X-linked microsatellite loci, at male production in the two lineages and in their hybrids deriving from reciprocal crosses. Genetic analyses revealed non-Mendelian inheritance of X-chromosomes in both parental and hybrid lineages at different steps of male function. Putative mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of non-Mendelian transmission of X-chromosomes to males are discussed.

MULTIPLE SEX CHROMOSOMES AND CONFIGURATION POLYMORPHISM IN THE MONOCHAMUS SCUTELLATUS-OREGONENSIS COMPLEX (COLEOPTERA: CERAMBYCIDAE)

1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 947-951 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. N. Lanier ◽  
A. G. Raskf
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Meiotic Division ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Multiple Sex Chromosomes ◽  
Monochamus Scutellatus

Fission-fusion polymorphism of the X chromosome and multiple sex chromosome configurations were observed in the Monochamus scutellatus-oregonensis complex. Segregation of fission X chromosomes opposite the Y is ensured by nucleolar orientation. However, occasional XY gametes may result when one X becomes disjoined from the nucleolus before the first meiotic division.

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