Skip to main content
Figure 5 | BMC Developmental Biology

Figure 5

From: Retinoic acid accelerates downregulation of the Xist repressor, Oct4, and increases the likelihood of Xist activation when Tsix is deficient

Figure 5

RA-containing cultures lead to silencing of the X-linked gene Pgk1 and exhibit slower overall growth than cultures without RA. A. Xist/Pgk1 RNA FISH showing the percentage of Pgk1 expression in XΔ/Y cells differentiated under the EB or EB+RA condition at day 6. EB+RA percentages represent only those cells positive for dispersed Xist RNA clusters. EB percentages represent all cells expressing basal Xist levels. B. Xist/Cot-1 RNA FISH of X/X (EB) and XΔ/Y (EB+RA) with Xist RNA clouds at day 6. Percentages represent Xist+ cells that were scored to be located within a Cot-1 RNA hole, partially within a Cot-1 hole, or excluded from a Cot-1 hole, as indicated. Note the higher percentage of Xist clouds excluded from a Cot-1 hole in XΔ/Y cells when compared to X/X cells. Arrows point to Xist clouds/clusters and their corresponding Cot-1 regions. C. Growth curves for wild-type and Tsix-mutant male cells differentiated under EB/EB+RA (left) or TC/TC+RA (right) conditions. Cultures containing RA (denoted in shades of red) had <50% of cells than those cultures grown in the absence of RA (denoted in shades of blue). No differences were seen between X/Y and XΔ/Y grown under similar conditions. Error bars represent one standard deviation from the mean; days of differentiation are listed as day 0 (d0), day 2 (d2), day 4 (d4), and day 6 (d6).

Back to article page