| First Author | Berletch JB | Year | 2013 |
| Journal | PLoS Genet | Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | e1003489 |
| PubMed ID | 23658530 | Mgi Jnum | J:200020 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5506833 | Doi | 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003489 |
| Citation | Berletch JB, et al. (2013) Female bias in Rhox6 and 9 regulation by the histone demethylase KDM6A. PLoS Genet 9(5):e1003489 |
| abstractText | The Rhox cluster on the mouse X chromosome contains reproduction-related homeobox genes expressed in a sexually dimorphic manner. We report that two members of the Rhox cluster, Rhox6 and 9, are regulated by de-methylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 by KDM6A, a histone demethylase with female-biased expression. Consistent with other homeobox genes, Rhox6 and 9 are in bivalent domains prior to embryonic stem cell differentiation and thus poised for activation. In female mouse ES cells, KDM6A is specifically recruited to Rhox6 and 9 for gene activation, a process inhibited by Kdm6a knockdown in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, KDM6A occupancy at Rhox6 and 9 is low in male ES cells and knockdown has no effect on expression. In mouse ovary where Rhox6 and 9 remain highly expressed, KDM6A occupancy strongly correlates with expression. Our study implicates Kdm6a, a gene that escapes X inactivation, in the regulation of genes important in reproduction, suggesting that KDM6A may play a role in the etiology of developmental and reproduction-related effects of X chromosome anomalies. |
