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Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants
Published on: December 21, 2021
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Smchd1 is a maternal effect gene required for genomic imprinting
Iromi Wanigasuriya1,2, Quentin Gouil1,2, Sarah A Kinkel1,2
1Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.
Elife
|November 13, 2020
Summary
The epigenetic repressor SMCHD1 is a novel maternal effect gene regulating imprinted gene expression in mice. It acts downstream of polycomb imprints, influencing ten genes through maternal and zygotic expression.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics
- Genomics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Genomic imprinting controls parent-specific gene expression via epigenetic marks.
- Maternal effect proteins in oocytes are crucial for establishing these imprints.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify novel maternal effect genes involved in genomic imprinting.
- Elucidate the role of SMCHD1 in regulating imprinted gene expression in mammals.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the function of the epigenetic repressor SMCHD1.
- Analyzed the impact of maternal and zygotic SMCHD1 on imprinted gene expression in mice.
- Examined DNA methylation patterns and polycomb-mediated imprints.
Main Results:
- Identified SMCHD1 as a novel maternal effect gene regulating ten imprinted genes in mice.
- Demonstrated that both maternal and zygotic SMCHD1 influence imprinted gene expression, affecting seven genes in a dose-dependent manner.
- Showed that loss of maternal SMCHD1 does not affect pre-implantation DNA methylation imprints.
Conclusions:
- SMCHD1 regulates a broad spectrum of imprinted genes, including canonical and non-canonical targets.
- The function of SMCHD1 appears to be downstream of polycomb-mediated imprints.
- SMCHD1 plays a significant role in mediating epigenetic regulation of imprinted genes in mammals.
Keywords:
H3K27me3 imprintsSmchd1allele-specific gene expressiondevelopmental biologygeneticsgenomic imprintinggenomicsmaternal effect genemouseMore Related Videos
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