Regulation of gene expression is a matter of control over the structure of packaged nuclear DNA, determining which regions are accessible to transcription proteins. This control becomes dysfunctional with age. Evidently there will be sex differences in the outcomes of this dysfunction because males and females have different chromosomes. It remains an open question as to which of these classes of difference are important in male versus female life expectancy and outcomes in aging, and why. Here, researchers discuss the phenomenon of silent X chromosome activation in older females, and whether it might provide a significant contribu…
Silent X Chromosome Activation as a Contribution to Sex Differences in Aging
Regulation of gene expression is a matter of control over the structure of packaged nuclear DNA, determining which regions are accessible to transcription proteins. This control becomes dysfunctional with age. Evidently there will be sex differences in the outcomes of this dysfunction because males and females have different chromosomes. It remains an open question as to which of these classes of difference are important in male versus female life expectancy and outcomes in aging, and why. Here, researchers discuss the phenomenon of silent X chromosome activation in older females, and whether it might provide a significant contribu…