Imprinted genes show unique patterns of sequence conservation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Genomic imprinting is an evolutionary conserved mechanism of epigenetic gene regulation in placental mammals that results in silencing of one of the parental alleles. In order to decipher interactions between allele-specific DNA methylation of imprinted genes and evolutionary conservation, we performed a genome-wide comparative investigation of genomic sequences and highly conserved elements of imprinted genes in human and mouse.

Results

Evolutionarily conserved elements in imprinted regions differ from those associated with autosomal genes in various ways. Whereas for maternally expressed genes strong divergence of protein-encoding sequences is most prominent, paternally expressed genes exhibit substantial conservation of coding and noncoding sequences. Conserved

SUBMITTER: Hutter B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3091771 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature