A model system to study genomic imprinting of human genes.
Somatic-cell hybrids have been shown to maintain the correct epigenetic chromatin states to study developmental globin gene expression as well as gene expression on the active and inactive X chromosomes. This suggests the potential use of somatic-cell hybrids containing either a maternal or a paternal human chromosome as a model system to study known imprinted genes and to identify as-yet-unknown imprinted genes. Testing gene expression by using reverse transcription followed by PCR, we show that functional imprints are maintained at four previously characterized 15q11-q13 loci in hybrids containing a single human chromosome 15 and at two chromosome 11p15 loci in hybrids containing a single chromosome 11. In contrast, three gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit genes in 15q12-q13 are nonimprinted. Furthermore, we have found that differential DNA methylation imprints at the SNRPN promoter and at a CpG island in 11p15 are also maintained in somatic-cell hybrids. Somatic-cell hybrids therefore are a valid and powerful system for studying known imprinted genes as well as for rapidly identifying new imprinted genes.
Gabriel
J M
JM
Department of Genetics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4955, USA.
Higgins
M J
MJ
Gebuhr
T C
TC
Shows
T B
TB
Saitoh
S
S
Nicholls
R D
RD
D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11; D002884:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15; D019175:DNA Methylation; D015870:Gene Expression; D015894:Genome, Human; D018392:Genomic Imprinting; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome