X-chromosome inactivation is a tightly regulated mechanism, which silences one of the two female X chromosomes. Here Makhlouf et al. show that the autosomal transcription factor YY1 directly promotes expression of the XistRNA—a master regulator of X-chromosome inactivation—at the onset of the inactivation process.
- Mélanie Makhlouf
- Jean-François Ouimette
- Claire Rougeulle