Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
07:59
Using a Comparative Species Approach to Investigate the Neurobiology of Paternal Responses
Published on: September 19, 2011
Lessons from comparative analysis of species-specific imprinted genes
1Department of Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
Cytogenetic and Genome Research
|April 1, 2006
Summary
Genomic imprinting, a gene regulation phenomenon, shows evolutionary variation across mammals. A broader mammalian comparison suggests a new dosage control hypothesis for its evolution.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomic Imprinting
Background:
- Genomic imprinting is typically conserved across mammals, linked to placental and fetal growth.
- Most imprinted genes are conserved between mouse and human, with some found in marsupials.
- However, some imprinted genes display species-specific patterns, not explained by current hypotheses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary conservation and variation of genomic imprinting.
- To understand the species-specificity of genomic imprinting beyond placental and conflict hypotheses.
- To explore the evolution of genomic imprinting using a broader mammalian comparison.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of a species-specific imprinted gene, Impact.
- Examination across a diverse range of mammalian species, including those diverged earlier than rodents.
Main Results:
- Identified variations in genomic imprinting patterns across different mammalian lineages.
- Demonstrated that some imprinted genes exhibit species-specific regulation.
- The study provides evidence challenging the universal conservation of genomic imprinting.
Conclusions:
- Genomic imprinting's evolution is more complex than previously thought.
- A broader mammalian perspective is crucial for understanding imprinting variations.
- Proposed an alternative dosage control hypothesis for the evolution of genomic imprinting.
More Related Videos
07:34The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
Published on: February 16, 2017
10:17Multi-target Chromogenic Whole-mount In Situ Hybridization for Comparing Gene Expression Domains in Drosophila Embryos
Published on: January 31, 2016
Related Concept Videos
02:30Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
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...
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
01:22Imprinting
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.
01:39Epistasis
In addition to multiple alleles at the same locus influencing traits, numerous genes or alleles at different locations may interact and influence phenotypes in a phenomenon called epistasis. For example, rabbit fur can be black or brown depending on whether the animal is homozygous dominant or heterozygous at a TYRP1 locus. However, if the rabbit is also homozygous recessive at a locus on the tyrosinase gene (TYR), it will have an unshaded coat that appears white, regardless of its TYRP1...
02:32Position-effect Variegation
In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
02:02Cis-regulatory Sequences
Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
01:23Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...