FGF4 initiates X-chromosome inactivation via activating YY1 and prompting loss of pluripotency factors
Lizhu Ma·Jianhui Tian·Lei An·Qianying Yang·Ruiqi Hai·Guangyin Xi·Yinjuan Wang·M. Liu·Chao Zhang·Yao Fu·Zhenni Zhang·Xiaodong Wang·Wei Fu
X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) balances gene expression between sexes in mammals and is essential to female development. XCI initiation strictly relies on the upregulation of long noncoding RNA Xist upon differentiation. Despite the co-occurrence and tight correlation between XCI and differentiation, master coordinators to synchronize XCI and differentiation remain ill-defined. Here, we report that FGF4, an autocrine differentiation-prompting stimulus, is essential for Xist upregulation and XCI