What Maternally Imprinted Gene?

Maternal imprinting means that the allele of a particular gene inherited from the mother is transcriptionally silent and the paternally- inherited allele is active. Paternal imprinting is the opposite; the paternally-inherited allele is silenced and the maternally-inherited allele is active.

What causes gene imprinting?

In genes that undergo genomic imprinting, the parent of origin is often marked, or “stamped,” on the gene during the formation of egg and sperm cells. This stamping process, called methylation, is a chemical reaction that attaches small molecules called methyl groups to certain segments of DNA.

What is the mechanism of imprinting?

Genomic imprinting is a form of epigenetic inheritance whereby the regulation of a gene or chromosomal region is dependent on the sex of the transmitting parent. During gametogenesis, imprinted regions of DNA are differentially marked in accordance to the sex of the parent, resulting in parent-specific expression.