• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.75-88
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• 1996

OTF9-63 (OTF9) and P19S1O1A1 (P19) embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells were examined for their ability to produce the readivation of inactive X chromosomes from somatic cells. They were hybridized with various somatic cells and resulting HATr EC-somatic cell clones were analysed for their morphology, chromosomal replication pafterns and expression proffies of X-linked and distantiy located genes, Hprt and Pgk-1. The results demonstrated that 0RF9 cells could reactivate the inactive X chromosome whereas P19 cells could not. In adition, EC-somatic cell hybrids tended to reduce the number of sex chromosomes in long-term culture, resulting m 1:2 ratio of sex chromosomes to autosomes The use of EC cell hybrids provides an experimental system for studying the mechanism(s) of the X-reactivatio that is initiated and maintained from meiotic prophase of oogenesis to early embryogenesis.