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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Genome Engineering of Primary Human B Cells Using CRISPR/Cas9
Published on: November 3, 2020
ZNF445 is a primary regulator of genomic imprinting
Nozomi Takahashi1, Andrea Coluccio2, Christian W Thorball2
1Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic process regulated by germline-derived DNA methylation, causing parental origin-specific monoallelic gene expression. Zinc finger protein 57 (ZFP57) is critical for maintenance of this epigenetic memory during post-fertilization reprogramming, yet incomplete penetrance of ZFP57 mutations in humans and mice suggests additional effectors. We reveal that ZNF445/ZFP445, which we trace to the origins of imprinting, binds imprinting control regions (ICRs) in mice and humans. In mice, ZFP445 and ZFP57 act together, maintaining all but one ICR in vivo, whereas earlier embryonic expression of ZNF445 and its intolerance to loss-of-function mutations indicate greater importance in the maintenance of human imprints.
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