Cell sub-journal: Decoding epigenetic mechanisms of parent-specific gene activation

Our cells contain all the genetic information from both mother and father

However, for about 1% of our genes, only the one inherited from the father or mother is active, and the other gene is inactive, a phenomenon known as genomic imprinting

method of treating disease

"Many genetic and epigenetic disorders are associated with genomic imprinting, such as Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Angelman syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome," explains Dr.

"But before developing future treatments, we need to understand the fundamentals," said MPIMG director Professor Alexander Meissner

read locked gene

In genomic imprinting, the "package" of genetic material, or the DNA itself, is chemically modified

"This is called the epigenetic mechanism,

Genetic scissors remove 'off switch'

Meissner and Andergassen, who began their research with Dr.

They used a molecular biology technique called CRISPR-Cas9, which functions as "genetic scissors" that remove and insert pieces of DNA

Hydrocarbon molecules make genes inactive

It turns out that most genes are inactivated by DNA methylation, which attaches hydrocarbon molecules to genetic material

This is a small but crucial difference

In addition to turning off the genomic imprinting of individual genes, the researchers also looked at another phenomenon

"We found that, at least in the placenta, the PRC2 enzyme plays an important role in the inactivation of the X chromosome," Andergassen said

Through their research, the team succeeded in providing an overview of the epigenetic mechanisms that maintain genomic imprinting

Journal Reference :

1. Daniel Andergassen, Zachary D.