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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 280, Issue 3, 1720-1723, January 21, 2005

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A Stable Proteinaceous Structure in the Territory of Inactive X Chromosomes^*

Frank O. Fackelmayer

From the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Heinrich-Pette-Institute, Martinistrasse 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany

Transcriptional inactivation of one copy of the X chromosome in female cells equalizes expression of X-linked genes between males and females. This "dosage compensation" is a multistep process that involves epigenetic modifications of chromatin and is induced by the expression of a large non-coding RNA termed Xist. In contrast to protein-coding mRNA molecules, which are free to diffuse and roam the entire nuclear interior, Xist is locally constrained to the territory of inactive X chromosomes by as yet unclear mechanisms. Recent results have suggested a contribution of scaffold attachment factor A (SAF-A) in the silencing of X-linked genes, maybe by inducing a local change in nuclear architecture. Here, in vivo mobility experiments demonstrate that SAF-A is a component of a highly stable proteinaceous structure in the territory of inactive X chromosomes, which might act as a platform for immobilizing Xist RNA during the maintenance phase of X inactivation.

Received for publication, November 16, 2004 , and in revised form, November 23, 2004.

^* The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

The on-line version of this article (available at http://www.jbc.org) contains supplemental movies M1 and M2.

To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: frank{at}fackelmayer.de.

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