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Mechanics and dynamics of X-chromosome pairing at X inactivation
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Scialdone, Antonio and Nicodemi, Mario (2008) Mechanics and dynamics of X-chromosome pairing at X inactivation. PL o S Computational Biology, Vol.4 (No.12). doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000244 ISSN 1553-734X.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000244
Abstract
At the onset of X-chromosome inactivation, the vital process whereby female mammalian cells equalize X products with
respect to males, the X chromosomes are colocalized along their Xic (X-inactivation center) regions. The mechanism
inducing recognition and pairing of the X’s remains, though, elusive. Starting from recent discoveries on the molecular
factors and on the DNA sequences (the so-called "pairing sites") involved, we dissect the mechanical basis of Xic
colocalization by using a statistical physics model. We show that soluble DNA-specific binding molecules, such as those
experimentally identified, can be indeed sufficient to induce the spontaneous colocalization of the homologous
chromosomes but only when their concentration, or chemical affinity, rises above a threshold value as a consequence of a
thermodynamic phase transition. We derive the likelihood of pairing and its probability distribution. Chromosome dynamics
has two stages: an initial independent Brownian diffusion followed, after a characteristic time scale, by recognition and
pairing. Finally, we investigate the effects of DNA deletion/insertions in the region of pairing sites and compare model
predictions to available experimental data.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QH Natural history > QH426 Genetics | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | X chromosome | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | PL o S Computational Biology | ||||
Publisher: | Public Library of Science | ||||
ISSN: | 1553-734X | ||||
Official Date: | 26 December 2008 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Vol.4 | ||||
Number: | No.12 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 7 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000244 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) |
Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge
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