x chromosome dosage compensation via enhanced.pdfVIP

LETTER doi:10.1038/nature09757 X chromosome dosage compensation via enhanced transcriptional elongation in Drosophila 1,2,3 4,5 4 6 6 4 1,2 Erica Larschan *, Eric P. Bishop *, Peter V. Kharchenko , Leighton J. Core , John T. Lis , Peter J. Park Mitzi I. Kuroda The evolution of sex chromosomes has resulted in numerous species 1.4-fold, consistent with previous estimates of MSL-dependent dosage in which females inherit two X chromosomes but males have a single compensation9,10,13. We also performed RNAP II ChIP in SL2 cells, X, thus requiring dosage compensation. MSL (Male-specific lethal) confirming higher occupancy on X-linked genes compared to auto- complex increases transcription on the single X chromosome of somes but with lower resolution and reduced sensitivity (Supplemen- Drosophila males to equalize expression of X-linked genes between tary Fig. 3). Therefore, we proceeded with GRO-seq to analyse X and the sexes1. The biochemical mechanisms used for dosage compensa- autosomal differences. tion must function over a wide dynamic range of transcription levels To measure how X and autosomes differed on average in the dis- and differential expression patterns. It has been proposed2 that tribution of elongating RNAP II, we segmented genes into their 59 the MSL complex regulates transcriptional elongation to control dosage compensation, a model subsequently supported by mapping a 2