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What equalizes the amount of protein produced by X-linked genes in males and females?

User Kostix
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Final answer:

X inactivation in females and the increase in X chromosome gene transcription in males equalize the amount of protein produced by X-linked genes in males and females.

Step-by-step explanation:

Equalizing the Amount of Protein Produced by X-Linked Genes

In males and females, the amount of protein produced by X-linked genes is equalized through a process called X inactivation in females and the increase in X chromosome gene transcription in males.

X Inactivation in Females

In females, one of the two X chromosomes in each cell is inactivated by condensing into a structure called a Barr body. This inactivation is random in each cell, but once it occurs, all cells descended from that cell will have the same inactive X chromosome. By this process, females compensate for their double genetic dose of X chromosome.

Increased X Chromosome Gene Transcription in Males

In males, the activity of the nuclear body called HLB (Histone Locus Body) and a protein called CLAMP (Chromatin-Linked Adaptor for Male-specific lethal (MSL) Protein) is involved in increasing X chromosome gene transcription. CLAMP binds to GAGA nucleotide repeats on the X chromosome, recruiting MSL proteins that globally increase male X chromosome gene expression, compensating for the lower X gene dosage in males.

User Cory LaNou
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