Satyaki P R V, Gehring Mary
a Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research , Cambridge , MA , USA.
b Department of Biology , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA , USA.
Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol. 2017 Apr;52(2):163-175. doi: 10.1080/10409238.2017.1279119. Epub 2017 Jan 25.
Imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon in which genes are expressed selectively from either the maternal or paternal alleles. In plants, imprinted gene expression is found in a tissue called the endosperm. Imprinting is often set by a unique epigenomic configuration in which the maternal chromosomes are less DNA methylated than their paternal counterparts. In this review, we synthesize studies that paint a detailed molecular portrait of the distinctive endosperm methylome. We will also discuss the molecular machinery that shapes and modifies this methylome, and the role of DNA methylation in imprinting.
印记是一种表观遗传现象，其中基因从母本或父本等位基因中选择性表达。在植物中，印记基因表达存在于一种称为胚乳的组织中。印记通常由一种独特的表观基因组构型设定，其中母本染色体的DNA甲基化程度低于父本染色体。在本综述中，我们综合了各项研究，描绘出了独特的胚乳甲基化组的详细分子图谱。我们还将讨论塑造和修饰这种甲基化组的分子机制，以及DNA甲基化在印记中的作用。
