Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia.
Biochemistry (Mosc). 2024 Aug;89(8):1429-1450. doi: 10.1134/S0006297924080054.
The phenomenon of paramutation describes the interaction between two alleles, in which one allele initiates inherited epigenetic conversion of another allele without affecting the DNA sequence. Epigenetic transformations due to paramutation are accompanied by the change in DNA and/or histone methylation patterns, affecting gene expression. Studies of paramutation in plants and animals have identified small non-coding RNAs as the main effector molecules required for the initiation of epigenetic changes in gene loci. Due to the fact that small non-coding RNAs can be transmitted across generations, the paramutation effect can be inherited and maintained in a population. In this review, we will systematically analyze examples of paramutation in different living systems described so far, highlighting common and different molecular and genetic aspects of paramutation between organisms, and considering the role of this phenomenon in evolution.
“paramutation”现象描述了两个等位基因之间的相互作用，其中一个等位基因在不影响 DNA 序列的情况下启动另一个等位基因的遗传表观遗传转化。由于 paramutation 引起的表观遗传转化伴随着 DNA 和/或组蛋白甲基化模式的改变，从而影响基因表达。对植物和动物中 paramutation 的研究已经确定了小非编码 RNA 作为起始基因座中表观遗传变化所需的主要效应分子。由于小非编码 RNA 可以跨代传递，因此 paramutation 效应可以在种群中遗传和维持。在这篇综述中，我们将系统地分析迄今为止在不同生命系统中描述的 paramutation 例子，突出生物体之间 paramutation 的共同和不同的分子和遗传方面，并考虑这种现象在进化中的作用。
