Credit: SciTechDaily.comA groundbreaking research study reveals that sex chromosomes, specifically through genes ZFX and ZFY, play a critical role in regulating gene expression across the human body, challenging standard views of their function.Human sex chromosomes originated from a pair of autosomes, the non-sex or regular chromosomes that contain the bulk of our genome and come in identical pairs. The genes controlled by ZFX and ZFY are included in all sorts of essential biological procedures, revealing that the sex chromosomes contribute widely to functions beyond those associated to sex characteristics.Impact of Sex Chromosomes on Global Gene ExpressionPage and San Roman measured how X and Y chromosomes impacted worldwide gene expression by graphing how each genes expression altered in cells depending on the number of X or Y chromosomes present. For this work, they utilized tissue samples from individuals who naturally have variation in their number of sex chromosomes: individuals born with anywhere from one to 4 X chromosomes and no to four Y chromosomes. In individuals who have atypical compositions of sex chromosomes, any extra X chromosomes will constantly be inactive X chromosomes– so when the scientists determined the result of including more X chromosomes, they were actually determining the effect of including more inactive X chromosomes.The inactive X and the Y, rather than the X and Y, are more properly the sex chromosomes that the scientists found to be customizing prevalent gene expression. (This broadens on previous work from Page and San Roman that focused on the relationship in between the inactive and active X.) In summary, the active X chromosome behaves like an autosome, while the non-active X chromosome and the Y chromosome function as two sides of the very same coin, both as sex chromosomes and as gene regulators.
The genes managed by ZFX and ZFY are included in all sorts of important biological processes, revealing that the sex chromosomes contribute extensively to functions beyond those related to sex characteristics.Impact of Sex Chromosomes on Global Gene ExpressionPage and San Roman determined how X and Y chromosomes affected international gene expression by graphing how each genes expression changed in cells depending on the number of X or Y chromosomes present. In individuals who have atypical compositions of sex chromosomes, any extra X chromosomes will constantly be non-active X chromosomes– so when the researchers determined the effect of including more X chromosomes, they were really measuring the effect of including more inactive X chromosomes.The inactive X and the Y, rather than the X and Y, are more precisely the sex chromosomes that the scientists found to be customizing extensive gene expression. (This broadens on previous work from Page and San Roman that focused on the relationship between the non-active and active X.) In summary, the active X chromosome acts like an autosome, while the non-active X chromosome and the Y chromosome function as two sides of the same coin, both as sex chromosomes and as gene regulators.
