Dosage compensation
Dosage Compensation
Dosage compensation (/ˈdoʊsɪdʒ kɒmpɛnˈseɪʃən/) is a biological process that equalizes the level of gene expression from the sex chromosomes between males and females. This mechanism ensures that males (XY) and females (XX) have the same effective dose of X chromosome-linked gene products.
Etymology
The term "dosage compensation" is derived from the concept of "gene dosage," which refers to the number of copies of a particular gene present in a cell or organism. "Compensation" refers to the adjustment made to balance the gene dosage between different sexes.
Mechanisms
There are three main mechanisms of dosage compensation: X-inactivation, X upregulation, and gene-by-gene dosage compensation.
- X-inactivation is a process by which one of the two copies of the X chromosome present in female mammals is inactivated.
- X upregulation is a process that doubles the output of the X chromosome in both males and females, effectively balancing the dosage of X-linked genes between the sexes.
- Gene-by-gene dosage compensation is a process that adjusts the expression of individual genes based on the number of gene copies present.
Related Terms
- X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in many animal species.
- Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product.
- Sex chromosomes are a pair of chromosomes, usually designated X or Y, in the germ cells of most animals and some plants, that combine to determine the sex and sex-linked characteristics of an individual.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Dosage compensation
- Wikipedia's article - Dosage compensation
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