Chromodomains bind RNA

Male flies compensate for having a single X chromosome by doubling the single X chromosome's level of expression. This increase is mediated by MOF, a histone H4 acetyltransferase. MOF, along with other proteins and an RNA called roX2, binds to the male X chromosome. In the 21 September Nature Akhtar et al. find that MOF and another dosage compensation protein called MSL-3 use their chromodomains to bind to roX2 and thus to the male X (Nature 2000, 407:405-409). Other chromodomain proteins, which function as chromatin regulators, may also have RNA-binding activity. If this is the case, non-coding RNAs may be more commonly involved in organizing regulatory complexes than has been appreciated to date.