CTCF, a candidate trans-acting factor for X-inactivation choice

In mammals, X-inactivation silences one of two female X chromosomes. Silencing depends on the noncoding gene, Xist ((i) under bar nactive (X) under bar-(s) under bar pecific (t) under bar ranscript), and is blocked by the antisense gene, Tsix. Deleting the choice/imprinting center in Tsix affects X-chromosome selection. Here, we identify the insulator and transcription factor, CTCF, as a candidate trans-acting factor for X-chromosome selection. The choice/imprinting center contains tandem CTCF binding sites that function in an enhancer-blocking assay. In vitro binding is reduced by CpG methylation and abolished by including non-CpG methylation. We postulate that Tsix and CTCF together establish a regulatable epigenetic switch for X-inactivation.