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X-inactivation of the Sts locus in the mouse: an anomaly of the dosage compensation mechanism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2009

Janet Jones ,
Josephine Peters ,
Carol Rasberry  and
Bruce M. Cattanach
Janet Jones
Affiliation:
MRC Radiobiology Unit. Chilton, Didcot, Oxon 0X11 ORD
Josephine Peters
Affiliation:
MRC Radiobiology Unit. Chilton, Didcot, Oxon 0X11 ORD
Carol Rasberry
Affiliation:
MRC Radiobiology Unit. Chilton, Didcot, Oxon 0X11 ORD
Bruce M. Cattanach
Affiliation:
MRC Radiobiology Unit. Chilton, Didcot, Oxon 0X11 ORD
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The behaviour of the X- and Y-borne Sts locus has been studied in male and female mice. There was considerable heterogeneity in STS activity between inbred mouse strains, with a four fold difference in activity between the highest (101/H) and lowest (Ju/Ct) activity strains, which can be interpreted in terms of allelic differences. In all inbred strains male STS levels were higher than those of female STS levels and in the majority of strains tested male STS levels were nearly twice as high as female levels. Reciprocal crosses between C3H/HeH and the STS-deficient substrain, C3H/An, demonstrated that activities of the X- and Y-borne genes in males are essentially the same and this suggested that the lower STS level in females derives from X-inactivation of the locus. The possibility that hormonal differences could instead be responsible for the lower activity in females was ruled out by the findings that (a) castration of males did not reduce their STS levels and (b) sex-reversed males, X / X Sxr, had STS levels typical of females. Final proof that the mouse Sts locus can be subject to the X-inactivation process was provided by the observation that XX females had STS levels that were only slightly (20%) higher than those of XO females. The difference may indicate incomplete inactivation of the locus. Linkage data verifying the location of Sts on the distal end of the X chromosome are provided.

In total, the results of this study show that the murine Sts locus can be subject to the X-inactivation process and this, together with the existence of functional loci of near-equal activities on the X and Y chromosomes, results in an imbalance of STS levels between the sexes. X-inactivation does not therefore serve as a dosage compensation mechanism for the Sts locus in the mouse. All of these findings were made in C3H/HeH mice or in animals carrying C3H/HeH functional Sts alleles, and it is pointed out that the diverse results previously obtained by other investigators may be attributable to their use of different strains and crosses between strains but could also be complicated by technical factors.

Type
Research Article
Information
Genetics Research , Volume 53 , Issue 3 , June 1989 , pp. 193 - 199
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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