Evidence for maternal imprinting of 45S ribosomal RNA genes in Xenopus hybrids.
We discovered that gene clusters of 45S ribosomal RNA in Xenopus hybrid frogs are maternally imprinted, similar to X chromosome inactivation in marsupial females. Paternal expression was partly restored after chemical inhibition of histone deacetylation during larval stages. This provides a new spectacular example of epigenetic silencing and first evidence of genomic imprinting in amphibians.
Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Washington Street, MC 0477, Blacksburg, VA, 24061-0477, USA, pawel@vbi.vt.edu.
Pawel
P
Michalak
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D020459:Genes, rRNA / Q000235:genetics*; D018392:Genomic Imprinting / Q000235:genetics*; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics*; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity; D014981:Xenopus / Q000235:genetics
D006877:Hydroxamic Acids; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; C088179:RNA, ribosomal, 45S; C012589:trichostatin A