X chromosome: how genetics becomes egalitarian

(Universit é de Gen è ve) In cell biology, men and women are unequal: men have an X chromosome, while women have two. How can we get around this difference? Geneticists from the UNIGE observed how the second X chromosome in females gradually becomes inactive in order to avoid an overdose of genes encoded by the X. They also found that several genes bypassed this inactivation, which varied according to the tissue and life phases of the cell.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news