Description
Genomic Imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon in which certain genes are expressed in a parent-of-origin (the parent from whom a particular gene or trait is inherited) specific manner.
- If the allele inherited from the father is imprinted, it is thereby silenced, and the only allele from the mother is expressed. If the allele from the mother is imprinted, then only the allele from the father is expressed.
- Genomic imprinting is a fairly rare phenomenon in mammals and it is due to DNA methylation in promoter regions of genes.
- The most significant disorders caused by this are the Prader-Willi and Angelman