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Imprints in the history of epigenetics

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 21, pages 566–567 (2020)Cite this article

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Following these studies, as well as others from Bruce Cattanach and colleagues, genomic imprinting became a paradigm in the growing discipline of epigenetics and helped energize a whole body of research in mammalian developmental epigenetics. In the years that followed, and with the identification in 1991 of the first endogenous imprinted genes (defined as parent-of-origin-dependent monoallelic expression), we came to understand the principles governing imprinting: the role of germline DNA methylation; imprinting control regions that can specify imprinting of whole domains of genes in cis; long non-coding RNAs as agents of epigenetic modification; and the existence of long-term epigenetic memory transmitted from one generation to the next. And we enjoyed stimulating discussions about the evolutionary rationale for imprinting: what is the selective advantage of purposefully silencing one of the two alleles of these genes?

genomic imprinting became a paradigm in the growing discipline of epigenetics

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References

Original articles

  • Surani, M. A., Barton, S. C. & Norris, M. L. Development of reconstituted mouse eggs suggests imprinting of the genome during gametogenesis. Nature 308, 548–550 (1984)

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  1. Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK

    Gavin Kelsey

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  1. Gavin Kelsey
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Correspondence to Gavin Kelsey.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Kelsey, G. Imprints in the history of epigenetics. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 21, 566–567 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-020-00289-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-020-00289-8

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