Tissue-specific alternative polyadenylation at the imprinted gene Mest regulates allelic usage at Copg2.

ABSTRACT: The gene Mest (also known as Peg1) is regulated by genomic imprinting in the mouse and only the paternal allele is active for transcription. MEST is similarly imprinted in humans, where it is a candidate for the growth retardation Silver-Russell syndrome. The MEST protein belongs to an ancient family of hydrolases but its function is still unknown. It is highly conserved in vertebrates although imprinted expression is only observed in marsupials and eutherians, thus a recent evolutionary event. Here we describe the identification of new imprinted RNA products at the Mest locus, longer variants of the RNA, called MestXL, transcribed >10 kb into the downstream antisense gene Copg2. During development MestXL is produced exclusively in the developing central nervous system (CNS) by alternative

SUBMITTER: MacIsaac JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3287194 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature