Expression of the Xist gene, a key player in mammalian X inactivation, has been proposed to be controlled by the antisense Tsix transcript. Targeted deletion of the Tsix promoter encompassing the DPXas34 locus leads to nonrandom inactivation of the mutant X, but it remains unresolved whether this phenotype is caused by loss of Tsix transcription or by deletion of a crucial DNA element. In this study we determined the role of Tsix transcription in random X inactivation by using mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells as a model system. Two approaches were chosen to modulate Tsix transcription with minimal disturbance of genomic sequences. First, Tsix transcription was functionally inhibited by introducing a transcriptional stop signal into the transcribed region of Tsix. In the second approach, an inducible system for Tsix expression was created. We found that the truncation of the Tsix transcript led to complete nonrandom inactivation of the targeted X chromosome. Induction of Tsix transcription during ES cell differentiation, on the other hand, caused the targeted chromosome always to be chosen as the active chromosome. These results for the first time establish a function for antisense transcription in the regulation of X inactivation.Dosage compensation in mammals is achieved by a unique mechanism that leads to transcriptional silencing of almost all genes present on one of the two X chromosomes in female cells, a process known as X-chromosome inactivation (X inactivation) (24). In undifferentiated cells, all X chromosomes are active and X inactivation is initiated at the onset of differentiation both in vivo and in vitro (31). The number of X chromosomes that are to be inactivated is determined relative to the ploidy of the cell, and X inactivation is initiated only when the number of X chromosomes exceeds one in a diploid nucleus. Each cell then makes the epigenetic choice to keep one X chromosome active and to inactivate all supernumerary X chromosomes (the n -1 rule, with n the total number of X chromosomes in the cell, and n -1 the number of X chromosomes that are being inactivated). One model suggests the presence of a blocking factor in limited quantities that can only protect one X chromosome from inactivation per diploid set of chromosomes (2). X-chromosome choice is random in the embryonic lineage of the mouse and other mammals but is influenced by a number of epigenetic and genetic factors. In metatherian mammals, such as kangaroos (8), and in the extraembryonic tissues of some eutherian mammals, including mice (43), the paternal X chromosome is imprinted and always undergoes inactivation. In addition, the choice in embryonic tissues of mice is influenced by the X-controlling element (Xce) such that X inactivation is skewed toward the chromosome possessing the weaker Xce allele (29). It has been shown that at least four alleles exist in mice: Xce a , Xce b , Xce c , and Xce d , with Xce a being the weakest and Xce d being the strongest allele. X-autosomal translocations and transgenic studies in mice have ...