Aging and aneuploidy: evidence for the preferential involvement of the inactive X chromosome.

Abstract

It has been known for some time that there is an association between chronological aging and X-chromosome aneuploidy in peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures from females. In an attempt to elucidate the mechanism of X-chromosome aneuploidy in aging females, we used a BrdU late-labeling technique to determine the X-inactivation pattern in 45,X and 47,XXX lymphocytes of older women. In 50 of 58 X-aneuploid cells the inactive X chromosome was missing or extra. This implies that either the inactive X has a special propensity for mitotic errors or mitotic errors occur at random but subsequent selection is less stringent against cells with a missing or additional inactive X chromosome than against aneuploid cells involving the active X chromosome. Evidence is presented in favor of the former hypothesis.

• Authors: M A Abruzzo, M Mayer, P A Jacobs
• Journal: Cytogenetics and cell genetics (Cytogenet Cell Genet) Vol. 39 Issue 4 Pg. 275-8 ( 1985) ISSN: 0301-0171 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 4053692 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Topics

• Aged
• Aging
• Aneuploidy
• Dosage Compensation, Genetic
• Female
• Humans
• Lymphocytes (ultrastructure)
• Middle Aged
• X Chromosome