Parental modifiers, antisense transcripts and loss of imprinting

Proc Biol Sci. 2002 Sep 7;269(1502):1841-6. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2002.2096.

Abstract

The kinship theory of genomic imprinting has explained parent-specific gene expression as the outcome of an evolutionary conflict between the two alleles at a diploid locus of an offspring over how much to demand from parents. Previous models have predicted that maternally derived (madumnal) alleles will be silent at demand-enhancing loci, while paternally derived (padumnal) alleles will be silent at demand-suppressing loci, but these models have not considered the evolution of trans-acting modifiers that are expressed in parents and influence imprinted expression in offspring. We show that such modifiers will sometimes be selected to reactivate the silent padumnal allele at a demand-suppressing locus but will not be selected to reactivate the silent madumnal allele at a demand-enhancing locus. Therefore, imprinting of demand-suppressing loci is predicted to be less evolutionarily stable than imprinting of demand-enhancing loci.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution
  • DNA Methylation
  • DNA, Antisense / genetics
  • Female
  • Gene Silencing
  • Genomic Imprinting*
  • Male
  • Models, Genetic
  • Mutation
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • DNA, Antisense