DNA Research Advance Access originally published online on January 11, 2006
DNA Research 2005 12(5):373-378; doi:10.1093/dnares/dsi013
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XIST Repression in the Absence of DNMT1 and DNMT3B
1Depto Biologia and Centro de Estudos do Genoma Humano, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil
2Center for Regenerative Biology/Department of Animal Science, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 06269, USA
X chromosome inactivation (XCI) in human and mice involves XIST/Xist gene expression from the inactive X (Xi) and repression from the active X (Xa). Repression of the XIST/Xist gene on the Xa has been associated with methylation of its 5' region. In mice, Dnmt1 has been shown to be involved in the methylation and transcriptional repression of Xist on Xa. We examined maintenance of XIST gene repression on Xa in HCT116 cell lines knockout for either DNMT1 or DNMT3B and for DNMT1 and DNMT3B simultaneously. Methylation of the XIST promoter and XIST transcriptional repression is sustained in DNMT1-, DNMT3B- and DNMT1/DNMT3B knockout cells. Despite global DNA demethylation, the double knockout cells present only partial demethylation of the XIST promoter, which is not sufficient for gene reactivation. In contrast, global DNA demethylation with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine leads to XIST expression. Therefore, in these human cells maintenance of XIST methylation is controlled differently than global genomic methylation and in the absence of both DNMT1 and DNMT3B.
Key words: X-chromosome inactivation; DNA-methyltransferase; XIST; epigenetic inheritance
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