An unbiased assessment of the role of imprinted genes in an intergenerational model of developmental programming.

ABSTRACT: Environmental factors during early life are critical for the later metabolic health of the individual and of future progeny. In our obesogenic environment, it is of great socioeconomic importance to investigate the mechanisms that contribute to the risk of metabolic ill health. Imprinted genes, a class of functionally mono-allelic genes critical for early growth and metabolic axis development, have been proposed to be uniquely susceptible to environmental change. Furthermore, it has also been suggested that perturbation of the epigenetic reprogramming of imprinting control regions (ICRs) may play a role in phenotypic heritability following early life insults. Alternatively, the presence of multiple layers of epigenetic regulation may in fact protect imprinted genes from such perturbation.

SUBMITTER: Radford EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3325178 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature