Maternal imprinting at the H19-Igf2 locus maintains adult haematopoietic stem cell quiescence.

ABSTRACT: The epigenetic regulation of imprinted genes by monoallelic DNA methylation of either maternal or paternal alleles is critical for embryonic growth and development. Imprinted genes were recently shown to be expressed in mammalian adult stem cells to support self-renewal of neural and lung stem cells; however, a role for imprinting per se in adult stem cells remains elusive. Here we show upregulation of growth-restricting imprinted genes, including in the H19-Igf2 locus, in long-term haematopoietic stem cells and their downregulation upon haematopoietic stem cell activation and proliferation. A differentially methylated region upstream of H19 (H19-DMR), serving as the imprinting control region, determines the reciprocal expression of H19 from the maternal allele and Igf2 from the paternal a

SUBMITTER: Venkatraman A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3896866 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature