{"symbol":"XIST","synonyms":["NCRNA00001","DXS1089","SWD66","DXS399E","LINC00001"],"name":"X inactive specific transcript (non-protein coding)","description":"X inactivation is an early developmental process in mammalian females that transcriptionally silences one of the pair of X chromosomes, thus providing dosage equivalence between males and females. The process is regulated by several factors, including a region of chromosome X called the X inactivation center (XIC). The XIC comprises several non-coding and protein-coding genes, and this gene was the first non-coding gene identified within the XIC. This gene is expressed exclusively from the XIC of the inactive X chromosome, and is essential for the initiation and spread of X-inactivation. The transcript is a spliced RNA. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been identified, but their full length sequences have not been determined. Mutations in the XIST promoter cause familial skewed X inactivation. [provided by RefSeq, Apr 2012]","ncbiEntrezGeneId":7503,"ncbiEntrezGeneUrl":"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/7503","proteins":[],"hgncRootFamilies":[{"name":"Non-coding RNAs","href":"/api/1.0/gene_family/Non-coding+RNAs"}]}