Loss of Imprinting in Human Placentas Is Widespread, Coordinated, and Predicts Birth Phenotypes.

ABSTRACT: Genomic imprinting leads to mono-allelic expression of genes based on parent of origin. Therian mammals and angiosperms evolved this mechanism in nutritive tissues, the placenta, and endosperm, where maternal and paternal genomes are in conflict with respect to resource allocation. We used RNA-seq to analyze allelic bias in the expression of 91 known imprinted genes in term human placentas from a prospective cohort study in Mali. A large fraction of the imprinted exons (39%) deviated from mono-allelic expression. Loss of imprinting (LOI) occurred in genes with either maternal or paternal expression bias, albeit more frequently in the former. We characterized LOI using binomial generalized linear mixed models. Variation in LOI was predominantly at the gene as opposed to the exon level, cons

SUBMITTER: Vincenz C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6993844 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature