Targeting of dosage compensation complex to the male X chromosome in Drosophila

• Applicant: Professorin Asifa Akhtar, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: General Genetics and Functional Genome Biology
• Term: from 2004 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5436913

In Drosophila, dosage compensation is achieved by a two-fold up-regulation of most of the genes on the male X chromosome. This process requires the association of the Dosage Compensation Complex (DCC) on the male X chromosome. The DCC contains at least five proteins (MSL-1, MSL-2, MSL-3, MLE, and MOF) as well as two non-coding RNAs, roX1 and roX2. Hyper-transcription of the male X chromosome also correlates with hyperacetylation of the male X chromosome at histone H4 lysine 16 residue. One of the intriguing features associated with dosage compensation is the X-chromosome specific targeting of DCC complex members. The DCC components localize on hundreds of discrete sites on the male X chromosome. Genetic studies have revealed about 35 "chromatin entry sites" from where the complex spreads in cis and covers the rest of the X chromosome. To date, only 2 of these entry sites have been characterized in detail. These are the roX genes encoding for the non-coding RNAs. In this project, we plan to characterize a novel chromatin entry site that is coincident with the mof histone acetyl transferase locus on the X chromosome.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1129: Epigenetics