title: Regulation and flexibility of genomic imprinting during seed development.
abstract: Genomic imprinting results in monoallelic gene expression in a parent-of-origin-dependent manner. It is achieved by the differential epigenetic marking of parental alleles. Over the past decade, studies in the model systems Arabidopsis thaliana and maize (Zea mays) have shown a strong correlation between silent or active states with epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, but the nature of the primary imprint has not been clearly established for all imprinted genes. Phenotypes and expression patterns of imprinted genes have fueled the perception that genomic imprinting is specific to the endosperm, a seed tissue that does not contribute to the next generation. However, several lines of evidence suggest a potential role for imprinting in the embryo, raising questions as to how imprints are erased and reset from one generation to the next. Imprinting regulation in flowering plants shows striking similarities, but also some important differences, compared with the mechanisms of imprinting described in mammals. For example, some imprinted genes are involved in seed growth and viability in plants, which is similar in mammals, where imprinted gene regulation is essential for embryonic development. However, it seems to be more flexible in plants, as imprinting requirements can be bypassed to allow the development of clonal offspring in apomicts.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Biology and Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zürich, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Raissig
authors.forename: Célia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baroux
authors.forename: Ueli
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Grossniklaus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D019175:DNA Methylation; D057890:Epigenomics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D018392:Genomic Imprinting; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D006657:Histones