A human cell has 22 pairs of autosomes and a pair of sex chromosomes. Females have two X chromosomes and males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. Since one of two X chromosomes in female cells is inactivated, only one X chromosome become functional both in male and female cells. This is the dosage compensation mechanism between males and females. However, that means X chromosomes function half as much as autosomes. Assistant Professor Takashi Makino at Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, has compared gene expression levels of X chromosome and those of autosomes, in collaboration with research groups in France and Ireland. As a result, he has discovered that expression levels of dosage-sensitive genes on the X chromosome doubled.

More informatin (Japanese)

[Contact]

Assistant Professor Takashi Makino

Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University

TEL: +81-22-795-6689

E-mail: tamakino*m.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)