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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Combined DNA-RNA Fluorescent In situ Hybridization (FISH) to Study X Chromosome Inactivation in Differentiated Female Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Published on: June 14, 2014
Linking X chromosome inactivation to pluripotency: Necessity or fate?
Mélanie Makhlouf1, Claire Rougeulle
1UMR7216 Epigenetics and Cell Fate, CNRS/Université Paris Diderot, 35 rue Hélène Brion, 75013 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Silencing one X chromosome is essential for the development of female mammals, but the regulation of this process appears to vary between species. In the mouse, which has thus far been the leading model system in the field, X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is tightly coupled to pluripotency and the underlying mechanisms have just begun to be deciphered. However, mechanistic aspects of XCI regulation in other species have yet to be thoroughly investigated. Here we review current knowledge of the developmental regulation of XCI in mice and humans and discuss the extent to which the intimate link between XCI and pluripotency extends beyond rodents.
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