The phenomenon in a female mammal whereby the genes in one of the pair of X chromosomes are silenced, with the result that their effects are equivalent to those in the male, with only a single X chromosome.
Example sentencesExamples
- While X chromosome inactivation specifically affects genes on the X chromosome, genomic imprinting modifies the activity of a subset of autosomal genes in a parent-of-origin-specific manner.
- Epigenetic regulation in aging mammals can be quantitatively measured using genes subject to X chromosome inactivation and genomic imprinting.
- In mammals, methylation is required for essential developmental programs including X chromosome inactivation in females and genomic imprinting.
- In other eukaryotes, intensively studied examples include X chromosome inactivation in mammalian females and the position-effect variegation observed in Drosophila melanogaster.
- One potential factor postulated to influence the fate of duplicated genes is germ-line-specific X chromosome inactivation.