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Jon F. Wilkins
Santa Fe Institute
Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.

About this book

Genomic imprinting refers to a recently discovered phenomenon in which the expression pattern of an allele depends on whether that allele was inherited from the mother or the father. This difference in expression strategy correlates with differences in the epigenetic state of the two alleles. These epigenetic differences include DNA methylation at CpG dinucleotides, as well as modifications on the histones associated with the locus. In the simplest possible cases, the promoter region of the imprinted gene is methylated during oogenesis, but not spermatogenesis (or vice versa). This methylation (and its accompanying histone modifications) results in inactivation of the modified allele. Of course, most imprinted genes do not fall into this simplest case. The goal of this book is neither to provide a basic introduction to imprinting, nor to provide a comprehensive survey of the current state of the field (which would necessarily span multiple books). Rather, the book covers on some of the more recent advances, with the goal of drawing attention to some of the emerging subtleties and complexities associated with imprinted genes.

Table of contents

1. DNA Methylation Reprogramming in the Germ Line
Diane J. Lees-Murdock and Colum P. Walsh

2. Control of Imprinting at the Gnas Cluster
Jo Peters and Christine M. Williamson

3. The GNAS Locus and Pseudohypoparathyroidism
Murat Bastepe

4. Imprinted Genes, Postnatal Adaptations and Enduring Effects on Energy Homeostasis
Margalida Frontera, Benjamin Dickins, Antonius Plagge and Gavin Kelsey

5. What Are Imprinted Genes Doing in the Brain?
William Davies, Anthony R. Isles, Trevor Humby and Lawrence S. Wilkinson

6. Genomic Imprinting and Human Psychology: Cognition, Behavior and Pathology
Lisa M. Goos and Gillian Ragsdale

7. Genomic Imprinting in Plants
Olivier Garnier, Sylvia Laouiellé-Duprat and Charles Spillane

8. Imprinted Genes and Human Disease: An Evolutionary Perspective
Francisco Úbeda and Jon F. Wilkins

9. Evolutionary Theories of Imprinting–Enough Already!
Tom Moore and Walter Mills