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X-Inactivation in Females
X-Inactivation in Females Early in female embryonic development, one of the two X chromosomes present in each somatic cell is inactivated. This inactivation (also known as lyonization) affects most of the genes encoded on the X chromosome. In each somatic cell, one of the two X chromosomes is randomly chosen for inactivation; the initial "inactivation decision" is then passed on to all clonal descendants of that particular cell. Consequently, females are a "mosaic" of cells with either the maternal or the paternal X chromosome inactivated.
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