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Updated: Jul 12, 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
Age-related erosion of X chromosome inactivation in human tissues
Clarissa Rocca1, Björn Gylemo2, Mélise Edwards3
1Computational and Evolutionary Neurogenomics Unit, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abstract:
Age-related diseases often show sex differences, yet their molecular bases remain unclear. Animal models suggest that age-related disruption of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) occurs in female mice. We test whether this phenomenon extends to humans using bulk and single-cell datasets. We find that age-dependent escape from XCI also occurs in human females, particularly among genes at the distal ends of the X-chromosome and those involved in genome stability. These findings provide preliminary evidence that XCI erosion represents a human female-specific aging process.
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