X inactive specific transcript (non-protein coding)

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]