Genomic imprinting: a balance between antagonistic roles of parental chromosomes.
Maternally and paternally derived chromosomes might be expected to contribute equally to the various cellular and developmental processes in placental mammals and flowering plants. However, this is not true even in the case of the self-pollinated plant, Arabidopsis, which has identical DNA sequences in both parental genomes. The reason for this is that some genes, called "imprinted genes", are expressed exclusively from paternally or maternally inherited chromosomes. As a result, parental chromosomes express a distinct set of genes and play different roles in biological processes. Here, we review and compare roles of genomic imprinting in flowering plants and placental mammals.
Kinoshita
Tetsu
T
Plant Reproductive Genetics, GCOE Research Group, Graduate School of Biological Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan. t-kinosita@bs.naist.jp
Ikeda
Yoko
Y
Ishikawa
Ryo
R
D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018392:Genomic Imprinting; D010312:Parthenogenesis / Q000235:genetics