Huh Jin Hoe, Bauer Matthew J, Hsieh Tzung-Fu, Fischer Robert
University of California at Berkeley, Plant & Microbial Biology Department, Berkeley, CA 94720-3102, USA.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2007 Dec;17(6):480-5. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2007.08.011. Epub 2007 Oct 24.
Imprinting occurs in the endosperm of flowering plants. Endosperm, produced by fertilization of the central cell in the female gametophyte, is essential for embryo and seed development. Several imprinted genes play an important role in endosperm development. The mechanism of gene imprinting involves DNA methylation and histone modification. DNA methylation is actively removed at the imprinted alleles to be activated. Histone methylation mediated by the Polycomb group complex provides another layer of epigenetic regulation at the silenced alleles. Endosperm gene imprinting can be uncoupled from seed development when fertilization of the central cell is prevented. Imprinting may be a mechanism to ensure fertilization of the central cell thereby preventing parthenogenic development of the endosperm.
印记现象发生在开花植物的胚乳中。胚乳由雌配子体中央细胞受精产生,对胚胎和种子发育至关重要。几个印记基因在胚乳发育中起重要作用。基因印记机制涉及DNA甲基化和组蛋白修饰。在要被激活的印记等位基因处,DNA甲基化会被主动去除。由多梳蛋白复合体介导的组蛋白甲基化在沉默等位基因处提供了另一层表观遗传调控。当中央细胞受精受阻时,胚乳基因印记可与种子发育解偶联。印记可能是一种确保中央细胞受精从而防止胚乳孤雌生殖发育的机制。