Genomic Imprinting
Genomic Imprinting - Related Videos
02:30
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
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2020
Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes. The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
01:22
Imprinting
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2019
Behavioral imprinting is observed in some newborn animals and occurs when they develop strong and specific attachments to another animal (usually a parent) following brief, early-life exposures. Offspring imprint onto parents within a brief period after birth or hatching; this time window is called the critical period. Once imprinting occurs, the bond established between the parents and their offspring is usually long-lasting. Survival Mother sheep imprint onto the scent of their lambs within...
09:23
Determination of DNA Methylation of Imprinted Genes in Arabidopsis Endosperm
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Cited by 4 •
2011
Imprinting is a phenomenon in plant and mammal reproduction. DNA methylation plays an important role in mechanisms of imprinting. Isolating endosperm and determining methylation status of imprinted genes in Arabidopsis can be difficult. In this protocol, we describe how to isolate endosperm and determine methylation by bisulfite sequencing.
08:31
Isolation and Genome Analysis of Single Virions using 'Single Virus Genomics'
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Cited by 2 •
2013
Single Virus Genomics (SVG) is a method to isolate and amplify the genomes of single virons. Viral suspensions of a mixed assemblage are sorted using flow cytometry onto a microscope slide with discrete wells containing agarose, thereby capturing the virion and reducing genome shearing during downstream processing. Whole genome amplification is achieved using multiple displacement amplification (MDA) resulting in genomic material that is suitable for sequencing.
08:31
Genome Editing
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2023
A well-established technique for modifying specific sequences in the genome is gene targeting by homologous recombination, but this method can be laborious and only works in certain organisms. Recent advances have led to the development of “genome editing”, which works by inducing double-strand breaks in DNA using engineered nuclease enzymes guided to target genomic sites by either proteins or RNAs that recognize specific sequences. When a cell attempts to repair this damage, mutations can be...
FAQs
During gamete formation, imprinting marks are placed at specific control regions, creating a parental record before fertilization. After fertilization, those marks must be maintained on the appropriate allele so they continue guiding expression. This timing explains how parent-specific information established in gametes can influence gene activity and development in the resulting embryo.
Imprinting control regions provide sites where regulatory marks, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, are established. These regions help preserve the distinction between maternal and paternal alleles after fertilization and direct allele-specific expression. Their activity therefore links the original parental source of an allele with whether that copy remains expressed or becomes silenced.
The two inherited copies are not necessarily treated equivalently. Genomic imprinting can cause one parental copy to be expressed while the other is silenced, so the biological effect depends on whether the active allele came from the mother or father. This makes parental origin an important variable when interpreting gene regulation and developmental outcomes.
Errors may occur when imprinting marks are established during gamete formation or maintained after fertilization. Such failures can alter the normal regulation of parental alleles, disrupting processes controlled by imprinting. The consequences can include abnormal growth, developmental problems, or imprinting disorders, and these changes may also contribute to disease.
Parent-specific gene regulation helps control biological processes that are especially important during early development. Imprinting contributes to embryonic growth and placental function, so disturbances in the relevant marks or allele-specific expression can affect these developmental systems. This connection makes imprinting important for understanding how epigenetic regulation influences development before and after implantation.
A study can relate the parental origin of an allele to whether that allele is expressed or silenced, then examine the associated marks at imprinting control regions. DNA methylation and histone modifications provide relevant regulatory features to assess. Linking these patterns with embryonic growth, placental function, abnormal growth, or disease can reveal the biological effects of imprinting.