Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Efficient and Rapid Isolation of Early-stage Embryos from Arabidopsis thaliana Seeds
Published on: June 7, 2013
Convergent evolution of genomic imprinting in plants and mammals
1Institute of Molecular Genetics, CNRS UMR-5535 and University of Montpellier, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France. robert.feil@igmm.cnrs.fr
Abstract:
Parental genomic imprinting is characterized by the expression of a selected panel of genes from one of the two parental alleles. Recent evidence shows that DNA methylation and histone modifications are responsible for this parent-of-origin-dependent expression of imprinted genes. Because similar epigenetic marks have been recruited independently in plants and mammals, the only organisms in which imprinted gene loci have been identified so far, this phenomenon represents a case for convergent evolution. Here we discuss the emerging parallels in imprinting in both taxa. We also describe the significance of imprinting for reproduction and discuss potential models for its evolution.
Related Concept Videos
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Convergent Evolution
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...
Multi-species Conserved Sequences
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...
Gene Duplication and Divergence
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are characterized.
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

