The Drosophila GAGA Factor Is Required for Dosage Compensation in Males and for the Formation of the Male-Specific-Lethal Complex Chromatin Entry Site at 12DE

Corresponding author: Paul Schedl, Lewis Thomas Labs, Washington Rd., Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544., pschedl{at}molbio.princeton.edu (E-mail)

Communicating editor: K. ANDERSON

Drosophila melanogaster males have one X chromosome, while females have two. To compensate for the resulting disparity in X-linked gene expression between the two sexes, most genes from the male X chromosome are hyperactivated by a special dosage compensation system. Dosage compensation is achieved by a complex of at least six proteins and two noncoding RNAs that specifically associate with the male X. A central question is how the X chromosome is recognized. According to a current model, complexes initially assemble at 35 chromatin entry sites on the X and then spread bidirectionally along the chromosome where they occupy hundreds of sites. Here, we report that mutations in Trithorax-like (Trl) lead to the loss of a single chromatin entry site on the X, male lethality, and mislocalization of dosage compensation complexes.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. E. Gelbart and M. I. Kuroda Drosophila dosage compensation: a complex voyage to the X chromosome Development, May 1, 2009; 136(9): 1399 - 1410. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. McNeil, K. P. Smith, L. L. Hall, and J. B. Lawrence Word frequency analysis reveals enrichment of dinucleotide repeats on the human X chromosome and [GATA]n in the X escape region Genome Res., April 1, 2006; 16(4): 477 - 484. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Legube, S. K. McWeeney, M. J. Lercher, and A. Akhtar X-chromosome-wide profiling of MSL-1 distribution and dosage compensation in Drosophila Genes & Dev., April 1, 2006; 20(7): 871 - 883. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]