The Role of X-chromosome Inactivation in Female Predisposition to Autoimmunity

Overview

Journal Arthritis Res

Specialty Rheumatology

Date 2000 Nov 1

PMID 11056674

Citations 28

Authors

S Chitnis

J Monteiro

D Glass

B Apatoff

J Salmon

P Concannon

P K Gregersen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We propose that the phenomenon of X-chromosome inactivation in females may constitute a risk factor for loss of T-cell tolerance; specifically that skewed X-chromosome inactivation in the thymus may lead to inadequate thymic deletion. Using a DNA methylation assay, we have examined the X-chromosome inactivation patterns in peripheral blood from normal females (n = 30), female patients with a variety of autoimmune diseases (n = 167). No differences between patients and controls were observed. However, locally skewed X-chromosome inactivation may exist in the thymus, and therefore the underlying hypothesis remains to be disproved.

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