Genomic imprinting in mammals-A review

Genomic imprinting refers to an epigenetic mark that distinguishes parental alleles and results in a monoallelic, parental-specific expression pattern in mammals. The alleles of imprinted genes are marked epigenetically as discrete elements termed imprinting control regions with their parental origin in gametes through the use of DNA methylation, at the very least. Imprinted genes are normally involved in foetal growth and behavioural development. Consequently, aberrant imprinting disturbs development and is the cause of numerous well-known imprinting disorders, including Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Cancer and Angelman syndrome.