Absence of methylation of a CpG-rich region at the 5' end of the MIC2 gene on the active X, the inactive X, and the Y chromosome.

We have identified and characterized a Hpa II tiny fragment (HTF) island associated with the promoter region of the pseudoautosomal gene MIC2. The MIC2 HTF island is unmethylated on both the active and inactive X chromosome and is similarly unmethylated on the Y chromosome. Unlike the majority of genes borne on the X chromosome, MIC2 fails to undergo X chromosome inactivation. HTF islands associated with X chromosome-linked genes that are inactivated are highly methylated on the inactive or transcriptionally silent homologue. The failure of MIC2 to undergo X chromosome inactivation correlates with the lack of methylation of the HTF island at the 5' end of the gene. These results provide further evidence that DNA methylation plays an important role in the phenomenon of X chromosome inactivation.