Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Submitted Successfully!
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic. For video creation, please contact our Academic Video Service.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1 handwiki Dean Liu -- 3806 2022-10-31 01:47:26

Video Upload Options

We provide professional Academic Video Service to translate complex research into visually appealing presentations. Would you like to try it?
No, upload directly Yes
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
HandWiki. Dosage Compensation. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/31960 (accessed on 24 September 2026).
HandWiki. Dosage Compensation. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/31960. Accessed September 24, 2026.
HandWiki. "Dosage Compensation" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/31960 (accessed September 24, 2026).
HandWiki. (2022, October 31). Dosage Compensation. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/31960
HandWiki. "Dosage Compensation." Encyclopedia. Web. 31 October, 2022.
Dosage Compensation
Edit
The content is sourced from: https://handwiki.org/wiki/Biology:Dosage_compensation

Dosage compensation is the process by which organisms equalize the expression of genes between members of different biological sexes. Across species, different sexes are often characterized by different types and numbers of sex chromosomes. In order to neutralize the large difference in gene dosage produced by differing numbers of sex chromosomes among the sexes, various evolutionary branches have acquired various methods to equalize gene expression among the sexes. Because sex chromosomes contain different numbers of genes, different species of organisms have developed different mechanisms to cope with this inequality. Replicating the actual gene is impossible; thus organisms instead equalize the expression from each gene. For example, in humans, females (XX) silence the transcription of one X chromosome of each pair, and transcribe all information from the other, expressed X chromosome. Thus, human females have the same number of expressed X-linked genes as do human males (XY), both sexes having essentially one X chromosome per cell, from which to transcribe and express genes. There are three main mechanisms of achieving dosage compensation which are widely documented in the literature and which are common to most species. These include random inactivation of one female X chromosome (as observed in Mus musculus; this is called X-inactivation), a two-fold increase in the transcription of a single male X chromosome (as observed in Drosophila melanogaster), and decreased transcription by half in both of the X chromosomes of a hermaphroditic organism (as observed in Caenorhabditis elegans). These mechanisms have been widely studied and manipulated in model organisms commonly used in the laboratory research setting. A summary of these forms of dosage compensation is illustrated below. However, there are also other less common forms of dosage compensation, which are not as widely researched and are sometimes specific to only one species (as observed in certain bird and monotreme species).

model organisms melanogaster musculus

References

  1. Brockdorff, N.; Turner, B.M. (2015). "Dosage compensation in mammals". Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 7: a019406. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a019406. PMID 25731764.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=4355265
  2. Barr, M.L.; Bertram, E.G. (1949). "A morphological distinction between neurones of the male and female, and the behaviour of the nucleolar satellite during accelerated nucleoprotein synthesis". Nature 163: 676–677. doi:10.1038/163676a0. PMID 18120749.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2F163676a0
  3. Ohno, Susumu (1959). "Sex chromosomes and sex-linked genes". Teratology 4: 111. doi:10.1002/tera.1420040116.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2Ftera.1420040116
  4. Lyon, M.F. (1961). "Gene action in the X-chromosome of the mouse (Mus musculus L.)". Nature 190: 372–373. doi:10.1038/190372a0. PMID 13764598.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2F190372a0
  5. Ahn, J.; Lee, J. (2008). "X chromosome: X inactivation". Nature Education 1 (1): 24. 
  6. = Beutler, Ernest; Yeh, Mary; Fairbanks, Virgil F. (1962). "The normal human female as a mosaic of X-chromosome activity: studies using the gene for g-6-pd-deficiency as a marker". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 48 (1): 9–16. doi:10.1073/pnas.48.1.9. PMID 13868717.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=285481
  7. Beutler, Ernest (2008). "Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency: a historical perspective". Blood 111: 16–24. doi:10.1182/blood-2007-04-077412. PMID 18156501.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1182%2Fblood-2007-04-077412
  8. Veitia, RA; Veyrunes, F; Bottani, S; Birchler, JA (February 2015). "X chromosome inactivation and active X upregulation in therian mammals: facts, questions, and hypotheses". Journal of Molecular Cell Biology 7 (1): 2–11. doi:10.1093/jmcb/mjv001. PMID 25564545.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1093%2Fjmcb%2Fmjv001
  9. Carrel, L.; Willard, H.F. (2005). "X-inactivation profile reveals extensive variability in X-linked gene expression in females". Nature 434 (7031): 400–4. doi:10.1038/nature03479. PMID 15772666.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature03479
  10. Berletch, JB; Ma, W; Yang, F; Shendure, J; Noble, WS; Disteche, CM; Deng, X (March 2015). "Escape from X inactivation varies in mouse tissues". PLoS Genetics 11 (3): e1005079. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1005079. PMID 25785854.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=4364777
  11. Lucchesi, J.C.; Kuroda, M.I. (2015). "Dosage compensation in Drosophila". Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 7: a019398. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a019398. PMID 25934013.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=4448616
  12. Muller, HJ (1932). "Further studies on the nature and causes of gene mutations". Proc 6th Int Congr Genet 1: 213–255. 
  13. Mukherjee, A.S.; Beermann, W. (1965). "Synthesis of ribonucleic acid by the X-chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster and the problem of dosage compensation". Nature 207: 785–786. doi:10.1038/207785a0. PMID 5885936.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2F207785a0
  14. Lucchesi, John C.; Manning, Jerry E. (1987). "Gene dosage compensation in Drosophila melanogaster". Advances in Genetics 24: 371–429. doi:10.1016/S0065-2660(08)60013-9. PMID 3124533.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2FS0065-2660%2808%2960013-9
  15. Sass G.L., Pannuti A., Lucchesi J.C. (2003). "Male-specific lethal complex of Drosophila targets activated regions of the X chromosome for chromatin remodeling". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 100: 8287–8291. doi:10.1073/pnas.1332749100. PMID 12829796.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=166221
  16. Dahlsveen, IK; Gilfillan, GD; Shelest, VI; Lamm, R; Becker, PB (February 2006). "Targeting determinants of dosage compensation in Drosophila". PLoS Genetics 2 (2): e5. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.0020005. PMID 16462942.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1359073
  17. Zhou Qi (2013). "The epigenome of evolving Drosophila neo-sex chromosomes: dosage compensation and heterochromatin formation". PLoS Biology 11 (11): 1–13. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001711.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001711
  18. *Deng Xinxian, Meller Victoria H (2009). "Molecularly severe roX1 mutations contribute to dosage compensation in Drosophila". Genesis 47 (1): 49–54. doi:10.1002/dvg.20463. PMID 19101984.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=5029428
  19. Larschan, E; Alekseyenko, AA; Gortchakov, AA; Peng, S; Li, B; Yang, P; Workman, JL; Park, PJ et al. (12 October 2007). "MSL complex is attracted to genes marked by H3K36 trimethylation using a sequence-independent mechanism". Molecular Cell 28 (1): 121–33. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2007.08.011. PMID 17936709.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.molcel.2007.08.011
  20. Meller, VH; Rattner, BP (1 March 2002). "The roX genes encode redundant male-specific lethal transcripts required for targeting of the MSL complex.". The EMBO Journal 21 (5): 1084–91. doi:10.1093/emboj/21.5.1084. PMID 11867536.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=125901
  21. Maenner, S; Müller, M; Fröhlich, J; Langer, D; Becker, PB (25 July 2013). "ATP-dependent roX RNA remodeling by the helicase maleless enables specific association of MSL proteins". Molecular Cell 51 (2): 174–84. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2013.06.011. PMID 23870143.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.molcel.2013.06.011
  22. Meyer BJ. 1997. Sex determination and X chromosome dosage compensation. In C. elegans II (ed. Riddle DL, et al.), pp. 209–240. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
  23. Meyer, BJ (2000). "Sex in the wormcounting and compensating X-chromosome dose". Trends in Genetics 16: 247–253. doi:10.1016/s0168-9525(00)02004-7. PMID 10827451.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0168-9525%2800%2902004-7
  24. Nigon V (1951). "Polyploidie experimentale chez un nematode libre, Rhaditis elegans Maupas". Bulletin Biologique de la France et de la Belgique 85: 187–255. 
  25. Csankovszki, G; Collette, K; Spahl, K; Carey, J; Snyder, M; Petty, E; Patel, U; Tabuchi, T et al. (13 January 2009). "Three distinct condensin complexes control C. elegans chromosome dynamics". Current Biology 19 (1): 9–19. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.12.006. PMID 19119011.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2682549
  26. Eisenmann, David M. (25 June 2005). "Wnt signaling". WormBook: 1–17. doi:10.1895/wormbook.1.7.1. PMID 18050402.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=4781570
  27. Dawes, HE; Berlin, DS; Lapidus, DM; Nusbaum, C; Davis, TL; Meyer, Barbara J. (11 June 1999). "Dosage compensation proteins targeted to X chromosomes by a determinant of hermaphrodite fate". Science 284 (5421): 1800–4. doi:10.1126/science.284.5421.1800. PMID 10364546.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.284.5421.1800
  28. Gladden, JM; Meyer, BJ (November 2007). "A ONECUT homeodomain protein communicates X chromosome dose to specify Caenorhabditis elegans sexual fate by repressing a sex switch gene". Genetics 177 (3): 1621–37. doi:10.1534/genetics.106.061812. PMID 17720939.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2147945
  29. Carmi, Ilil; Kopczynski, Jennifer B.; Meyer, Barbara J. (12 November 1998). "The nuclear hormone receptor SEX-1 is an X-chromosome signal that determines nematode sex". Nature 396 (6707): 168–73. doi:10.1038/24164. PMID 9823896.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2F24164
  30. "Genetic and molecular analysis of fox-1, a numerator element involved in Caenorhabditis elegans primary sex determination". Genetics 151: 617–631. 1999. 
  31. "X-chromosome-counting mechanisms that determine nematode sex". Nature 388: 200–204. 1997. 
  32. Kuroda, Y; Arai, N; Arita, M; Teranishi, M; Hori, T; Harata, M; Mizuno, S (2001). "Absence of Z-chromosome inactivation for five genes in male chickens.". Chromosome Research 9 (6): 457–68. doi:10.1016/s0960-9822(01)00070-7. PMID 11592480.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0960-9822%2801%2900070-7
  33. McQueen Heather (2001). "Dosage compensation in birds". Current Biology 11 (4): 253–257. doi:10.1016/s0960-9822(01)00070-7. PMID 11592480.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0960-9822%2801%2900070-7
  34. Ellegren Hans (2007). "Faced with inequality: chicken do not have a general dosage compensation of sex-linked genes". BMC Biology 5: 40. doi:10.1186/1741-7007-5-40. PMID 17883843.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2099419
  35. Itoh, Y; Melamed, E; Yang, X; Kampf, K; Wang, S; Yehya, N; Van Nas, A; Replogle, K et al. (2007). "Dosage compensation is less effective in birds than in mammals". Journal of Biology 6 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/jbiol53. PMID 17352797.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2373894
  36. Zha Xingfu (2009). "Dosage analysis of Z chromosome genes using microarray in silkworm, Bombyx mori". Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 29 (5–6): 315–321. 
  37. Melamed, E; Arnold, AP (2007). "Regional differences in dosage compensation on the chicken Z chromosome". Genome Biology 8 (9): R202. doi:10.1186/gb-2007-8-9-r202. PMID 17900367.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2375040
  38. Fridolfsson, AK; Cheng, H; Copeland, NG; Jenkins, NA; Liu, HC; Raudsepp, T; Woodage, T; Chowdhary, B et al. (7 July 1998). "Evolution of the avian sex chromosomes from an ancestral pair of autosomes". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 95 (14): 8147–52. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.14.8147. PMID 9653155.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=20944
  39. Cock A.G. (1964). "Dosage compensation and sex-chromatin in non-mammals". Genet Res Camb 5: 354–365. doi:10.1017/s0016672300034807.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1017%2Fs0016672300034807
  40. McQueen, HA; McBride, D; Miele, G; Bird, AP; Clinton, M (20 February 2001). "Dosage compensation in birds". Current Biology 11 (4): 253–7. doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(01)00070-7. PMID 11250153.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2FS0960-9822%2801%2900070-7
  41. Lieb J.D., Albrecht M.R., Chuan P., Meyer B.J. (1998). "MIX-1: an essential component of the C. elegans mitotic machinery executes X chromosome dosage compensation". Cell 92: 265–277. doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80920-4.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0092-8674%2800%2980920-4
  42. Melamed Esther, Arnold Arthur (2009). "The role of LINEs and CpG islands in dosage compensation on the chicken Z chromosome". Chromosome Research 17 (6): 727–736. doi:10.1007/s10577-009-9068-4. PMID 19672682.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2759020
  43. Mank, Judith E.; Hosken, David J.; Wedell, Nina (2011-08-01). "Some inconvenient truths about sex chromosome dosage compensation and the potential role of sexual conflict" (in en). Evolution 65 (8): 2133–2144. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01316.x. ISSN 1558-5646. PMID 21790564.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1558-5646.2011.01316.x
  44. Charlesworth D., Charlesworth B., Marais G., Charlesworth B., Marais G., Marais G. (2005). "Steps in the evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes". Heredity 95: 118–128. doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800697.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2Fsj.hdy.6800697
  45. Deakin, JE; Hore, TA; Koina, E; Marshall Graves, JA (25 July 2008). "The status of dosage compensation in the multiple X chromosomes of the platypus". PLoS Genetics 4 (7): e1000140. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000140. PMID 18654631.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2453332
  46. Grützner, F; Graves, JA (December 2004). "A platypus' eye view of the mammalian genome". Current Opinion in Genetics & Development 14 (6): 642–9. doi:10.1016/j.gde.2004.09.006. PMID 15531159.  https://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.gde.2004.09.006
  47. Meadows, R (2012). "Sex chromosome equality in plants". PLoS Biology 10 (4): e1001312. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001312. PMID 22529748.  http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=3328425
More
©Text is available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons-Attribution ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Subjects: Genetics & Heredity
Contributor MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register :
HandWiki
View Times: 6.0K
Entry Collection: HandWiki
Revision: 1 time (View History)
Update Date: 31 Oct 2022
Table of Contents
    Notice
    You are not a member of the advisory board for this topic. If you want to update advisory board member profile, please contact office@encyclopedia.pub.
    OK
    Confirm
    Only members of the Encyclopedia advisory board for this topic are allowed to note entries. Would you like to become an advisory board member of the Encyclopedia?
    Yes
    No
    ${ textCharacter }/${ maxCharacter }
    Submit
    Cancel
    There is no comment~
    ${ textCharacter }/${ maxCharacter }
    Submit
    Cancel
    ${ selectedItem.replyTextCharacter }/${ selectedItem.replyMaxCharacter }
    Submit
    Cancel
    Confirm
    Are you sure to Delete?
    Yes No
    Academic Video Service
    Feedback