Christine Disteche, Ph.D.

Professor of Pathology
Research Affiliate, Center on Human Development and Disability
cdisteche@uw.edu
206-543-0716
University of Washington
Box 357470
Seattle, WA 98195-7470

Dr. Disteche studies the structure, function, and regulation of the X chromosome. She and her lab focus on X inactivation, a process which silences one of the two X chromosomes in females, and genes that escape regulation by X-inactivation, such as JARID1C. Mutations in JARID1C have been implicated in X-linked intellectual disabilities in males. Disteche’s work is also relevant to the study of Turner Syndrome, a developmental disorder that occurs in females who are missing part or all of one X chromosome, which can cause disabilities in some types of non-verbal learning.