Using computer-based methods, we determined the global distribution of short interspersed nuclear elements (
SINEs) on human and mouse X chromosomes. It was shown that this distribution was similar to the distribution of CpG islands and
genes, but was different from the distribution of
LINE1 elements. Since
SINEs (human Alu and mouse B2) may have binding sites for Polycomb protein YY1, we suggest that these repeats can serve as additional
signals (“boosters”) in Polycomb-dependent silencing of gene-rich segments during X inactivation.
Key words X inactivation -
LINE1
-
SINEs
- Polycomb complex - transcription factor YY1 - Xist RNA
Original Russian Text © N.M. Usmanova, V.I. Kazakov, N.V. Tomilin, 2008, published in Tsitologiya, Vol. 50, No. 3, 2008.