A Novel Mutant Allele of Pw1/Peg3 Does Not Affect Maternal Behavior or Nursing Behavior.

ABSTRACT: Parental imprinting is a mammalian-specific form of epigenetic regulation in which one allele of a gene is silenced depending on its parental origin. Parentally imprinted genes have been shown to play a role in growth, metabolism, cancer, and behavior. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying parental imprinting have been largely elucidated, the selective advantage of silencing one allele remains unclear. The mutant phenotype of the imprinted gene, Pw1/Peg3, provides a key example to illustrate the hypothesis on a coadaptation between mother and offspring, in which Pw1/Peg3 is required for a set of essential maternal behaviors, such as nursing, nest building, and postnatal care. We have generated a novel Pw1/Peg3 mutant allele that targets the last exon for the PW1 protein that contain

SUBMITTER: Denizot AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4871489 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature