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Paternally expressed Peg3 controls maternally expressed Zim1 as a trans factor
An Ye1, Hongzhi He1, Joomyeong Kim1
1Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America.
Plos One
|September 30, 2014
Summary
Paternally expressed Peg3 acts as a trans factor to repress maternally expressed Zim1. This study reveals Peg3
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Epigenetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Two adjacent imprinted genes, Peg3 and Zim1, exhibit inverse expression correlation.
- Understanding the regulatory mechanisms between imprinted genes is crucial for developmental biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanism behind the inverse correlation between Peg3 and Zim1 expression.
- To investigate the role of Peg3 as a trans factor in regulating Zim1.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a mutant allele targeting Peg3 to study its effect on Zim1 expression.
- Performed Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments to identify protein-DNA interactions.
- Analyzed histone modifications, specifically H3K9me3, on Zim1.
Main Results:
- Mutation of paternal Peg3 led to a significant increase in maternal Zim1 transcription.
- Peg3 protein was found to bind to the zinc finger exon of Zim1, which is marked by H3K9me3.
- Loss of PEG3 reduced H3K9me3 levels on Zim1, and reintroducing PEG3 restored Zim1 down-regulation.
Conclusions:
- Paternally expressed Peg3 functions as a trans factor to repress maternally expressed Zim1.
- Peg3 plays a role in establishing H3K9me3 epigenetic marks on Zim1.
- This study presents the first instance of trans-allelic interaction between oppositely imprinted genes via their products.
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