Battle of the Sexes
Mouse studies shed light on whether maternal and paternal genes
wage war
New studies put to the test the
parental-conflict model of imprintinga genetic oddity in which the parental
origin of a gene determines whether it functions.
References:
Hurst, L.D. 1998. Peromysci, promiscuity and imprinting. Nature
Genetics 20(December):315.
Lefebvre, L. . . . and M.A. Surani. 1998. Abnormal maternal behaviour
and growth retardation associated with loss of the imprinted gene
Mest. Nature Genetics 20(October):163.
Li, L.-L. . . . and M.A. Surani. 1999. Regulation of maternal behavior
and offspring growth by paternally expressed Peg3. Science
284(April 9):330.
Vrana, P.B. . . . and S.M. Tilghman. 1998. Genomic imprinting is
disrupted in interspecific Peromyscus hybrids. Nature Genetics
20(December):362.
Further Readings:
Moore, T., and W. Reik. 1996. Genetic conflict in early development:
Parental imprinting in normal and abnormal growth. Reproduction
1(May):73.
Weiss, R. 1989. A genetic gender gap. Science News 135(May
20):312.
For all the latest news on imprinting research check out http://www.geneimprint.com/index.html.
Sources:
Samuel A. Aparicio
University of Cambridge
Tennis Court Road
Cambridge CB2 1QR
United Kingdom
David Haig
Harvard University
26 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Laurence D. Hurst
University of Bath
Department of Biology and Biochemistry
Claverton Down
Bath BA2 4SD
United Kingdom
Tom Moore
Babraham Institute
Laboratory of Developmental Genetics and Imprinting
Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT
United Kingdom
Wolf Reik
Babraham Institute
Laboratory of Developmental Genetics and Imprinting
Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT
United Kingdom
M. Azim Surani
University of Cambridge
Physiological Laboratory
Tennis Court Road
Cambridge CB2 1QR
United Kingdom
Shirley M. Tilghman
Princeton University
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Department of Molecular Biology
Princeton, NJ 08544
From Science
News, Vol. 155, No. 20, May 15, 1999, p. 312.
Copyright © 1999, Science Service.