Parthenogenetic embryos, which contained one genome from a neonate-derived non-growing oocyte and the other from a fully grown oocyte, developed to day 13.5 of gestation in mice, 3 days longer than previously recorded for parthenogenetic development. To investigate the hypothesis that disruption of primary imprinting during oocyte growth leads to the modified expression of imprinted genes and t...

A central question in genomic imprinting is how parental-specific DNA methylation of imprinting control regions (ICR) is established during gametogenesis and maintained after fertilization. At the imprinted Igf2/H19 locus, CTCF binding maintains the unmethylated state of the maternal ICR after the blastocyst stage. In addition, evidence from Beckwith-Wiedemann patients and cultured mouse cells ...

Backgrund: Imprinted genes are a unique subset of few genes, which have been differentially methylated region (DMR) in a parental origin-dependent manner during gametogenesis, and these genes are highly protected during pre-implantation epigenetic reprogramming. Several studies heve shown that the particular vulnerability of imprinting genes during suboptimal pre- and peri-conception microenvir...

Background: Cis-acting sequences regulate regionspecific DNA demethylation. Results: DNA demethylation of a fragment from the mouse H19/Igf2 imprinted control region requires two Sox-Oct motifs, one of which is methylation sensitive. Conclusion: The Sox-Oct motif functions to induce DNA demethylation in P19 cells. Significance: The Sox-Oct motif might be a key element to induce region-specific ...

Epigenetic plasticity in relation to in utero exposures may mechanistically explain observed differences in the likelihood of developing common complex diseases including hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease through the cumulative effects of subtle alterations in gene expression. Imprinted genes are essential mediators of growth and development and are characterized by differential...