Single-cell genomics is set to revolutionise our understanding of how epigenetic silencing works; by studying specific epigenetic marks or chromatin conformations in single cells, it is possible to ask whether they cause transcriptional silencing or are instead a consequence of the silent state. Here, we review what single-cell genomics has revealed about X chromosome inactivation, perhaps the best characterised mammalian epigenetic process, highlighting the novel findings and important differences between mouse and human X inactivation uncovered through these studies. We consider what fundamental questions these techniques are set to answer in coming years and propose that X chromosome inactivation is an ideal model to study gene silencing by single-cell genomics as technical limitations are minimised through the co-analysis of hundreds of genes.
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June 2018
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The structure of a Nucleosome, in which DNA is wrapped around a histone core. In this issue of Biochemical Society Transactions, Taniguchi et al. review recent advances in exploring Nucleosome-level 3D organization of the genome; for details see pages 491–501.
Review Article|
April 20 2018
Studying X chromosome inactivation in the single-cell genomic era
Andrew Keniry;
1The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
2Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
Correspondence: Andrew Keniry (keniry@wehi.edu.au) or Marnie E. Blewitt (blewitt@wehi.edu.au)
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Marnie E. Blewitt
1The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
2Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
Correspondence: Andrew Keniry (keniry@wehi.edu.au) or Marnie E. Blewitt (blewitt@wehi.edu.au)
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 24 2017
Revision Received:
March 23 2018
Accepted:
March 26 2018
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2018
Biochem Soc Trans (2018) 46 (3): 577–586.
Article history
Received:
November 24 2017
Revision Received:
March 23 2018
Accepted:
March 26 2018
Citation
Andrew Keniry, Marnie E. Blewitt; Studying X chromosome inactivation in the single-cell genomic era. Biochem Soc Trans 19 June 2018; 46 (3): 577–586. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20170346
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