Dosage Compensation in Frogs and Toads
John H. Malone
from: Epigenetics: Current Research and Emerging Trends (Edited by: Brian P. Chadwick). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2015) Pages: 167-184.
Abstract
Dosage compensation is a mechanism that facilitates changes in expression relative to DNA abundance. Intensive study of worms, flies, and human sex chromosomes during the last several decades has shown that intrinsic effects, noncoding RNA, macromolecular complexes, or a combination act to manipulate expression. The strength of studying these model organisms comes from detailed genetic knowledge and an array of molecular tools, however with the advent of whole genome sequencing, it becomes possible to understand dosage compensation in a wider evolutionary context. In this chapter, I provide an overview of dosage compensation and what is known about dosage compensation in frogs and toads. Frogs and toads represent the basal tetrapods and are useful models for understanding gene dosage during early development, a window that is difficult to study in vertebrates. While few studies exist, there are curious examples of dosage compensation in frogs. Applying genomic tools in frogs and toads will provide a better understanding for the role of compensation in solving problems of abnormal gene dosage, and create new opportunities for understanding the role of dosage compensation in evolution, genome function, and early development read more ...
