X Chromosome Inactivation (XCI) is the process in mammal female cells whereby one of the X chromosomes is silenced to compensate dosage with respect to males. It is still myste- rious how precisely one X chromosome is randomly chosen for inactivation. We discuss here a mean-field theory of the Symmetry Breaking (SB) model of XCI, a Statistical Mechanics model introduced to explain that process. The SB model poses that a single regulatory factor, an aggregate of molecules, is produced which acts to preserve from inactivation one of the X’s. The model illustrates a physical mechanism, originating from a thermodynamic phase transition, for the self-assembling of such a single super-molecular aggregate which can spontaneously break the binding symmetry of equivalent targets. This results in a sharp, yet stochastic, regulatory mechanism of XCI. In particular, we focus here on how the model can predict the effects of genetic deletions.
Mean-Field Theory of the Symmetry Breaking Modelfor X Chromosome Inactivation / A., Scialdone; M., Barbieri; D., Pallotti; Nicodemi, Mario. - In: PROGRESS OF THEORETICAL PHYSICS SUPPLEMENT. - ISSN 0375-9687. - 191:(2011), pp. 40-45. [10.1143/PTPS.191.40]
Mean-Field Theory of the Symmetry Breaking Modelfor X Chromosome Inactivation
NICODEMI, MARIO
2011
Abstract
X Chromosome Inactivation (XCI) is the process in mammal female cells whereby one of the X chromosomes is silenced to compensate dosage with respect to males. It is still myste- rious how precisely one X chromosome is randomly chosen for inactivation. We discuss here a mean-field theory of the Symmetry Breaking (SB) model of XCI, a Statistical Mechanics model introduced to explain that process. The SB model poses that a single regulatory factor, an aggregate of molecules, is produced which acts to preserve from inactivation one of the X’s. The model illustrates a physical mechanism, originating from a thermodynamic phase transition, for the self-assembling of such a single super-molecular aggregate which can spontaneously break the binding symmetry of equivalent targets. This results in a sharp, yet stochastic, regulatory mechanism of XCI. In particular, we focus here on how the model can predict the effects of genetic deletions.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.