Jeannie Lee Part 1: Making and Breaking the Silence
In mammals, sex is determined by a pair of unequal sex chromosomes. Genetically male mammals have an X and a Y chromosome while genetically female mammals have two X chromosomes. The X chromosome is many times larger than the Y chromosome. To compensate for this genetic inequality, female mammals undergo X chromosome inactivation in which one of the X chromosomes is randomly chosen to be silenced. X chromosome inactivation has been studied for over 50 years both because it is a physiologically important event and because it is an excellent model for studying epigenetic silencing of genes by long non-coding RNAs. In her first talk, Dr. Jeannie Lee gives an overview of the steps a cell must go through during X inactivation. These include “counting” the X chromosomes, deciding which X chromosome to inactivate, initiating the inactivation and spreading it across the chromosome, and finally maintaining inactivation of the same X chromosome for the rest of the life of the organism.
View the full talk with additional resources on our website
The X chromosome is many time larger than the Y chromosome. To compensate for this genetic inequality, female mammalian cells undergo X chromosome inactivation of one X chromosome. Dr. Jeannie Lee explains the how and why of X chromosome inactivation. (Talk recorded in November 2018)
Dr. Jeannie Lee is a Professor in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and in the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Her lab uses X chromosome inactivation as a model to study epigenetic regulation by long noncoding RNAs. Lee received her AB in biochemistry and molecular biology from Harvard…
This website uses cookies to remember you and improve your experience. To find out more see our Privacy Policy.Accept
Audience:
Audience:
Audience:
