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Science 8 December 1995:
Vol. 270. no. 5242, pp. 1610 - 1613
DOI: 10.1126/science.270.5242.1610
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Special

Gametic Imprinting in Mammals

Denise P. Barlow

Embryonic development in mammals is distinct from that in other vertebrates because it depends on a small number of imprinted genes that are specifically expressed from either the maternal or paternal genome. Why mammals are uniquely dependent on sexual reproduction and how this dependency is dictated at a molecular level are questions that have been intensively investigated during the past 2 years. Gene inactivation experiments have confirmed predictions that imprinted genes regulate embryonic and placental growth and that DNA methylation is part of the imprinting mechanism. Despite these considerable achievements, the reason why imprinted hemizygosity is used as a mechanism to regulate the intrauterine growth of mammalian embryos remains elusive.


The author is at the Institute of Molecular Pathology, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 7, Vienna, Austria.


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Genomic Imprinting: Implications for Human Disease.
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Am. J. Pathol. 154, 635-647
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Potential mechanisms of metabolic imprinting that lead to chronic disease.
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NOEY2 (ARHI), an imprinted putative tumor suppressor gene in ovarian and breast carcinomas.
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PLANT CELL 10, 1747-1758
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Igf2 imprinting does not require its own DNA methylation or H19 RNA.
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Genes & Dev. 12, 2200-2207
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PNAS 95, 1675-1680
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Genetic Conflicts, Multiple Paternity and the Evolution of Genomic Imprinting.
H. G. Spencer, M. W. Feldman, and A. G. Clark (1998)
Genetics 148, 893-904
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A Single Amino Acid Difference within the Folate Transporter Encoded by the Murine RFC-1 Gene Selectively Alters its Interaction with Folate Analogues. IMPLICATIONS FOR INTRINSIC ANTIFOLATE RESISTANCE AND DIRECTIONAL ORIENTATION OF THE TRANSPORTER WITHIN THE PLASMA MEMBRANE OF TUMOR CELLS.
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Loss of the maternal H19 gene induces changes in Igf2 methylation in both cis and trans.
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PNAS 94, 10243-10248
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Screening for imprinted genes by allelic message display: Identification of a paternally expressed gene Impact on mouse chromosome 18.
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PNAS 94, 9249-9254
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Deletion of the H19 transcription unit reveals the existence of a putative imprinting control element..
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PNAS 93, 13876-13883
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PNAS 93, 12920-12925
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