High impact information on Nespas

• Uniquely, the Nespas DMR acts on the downstream ICR at exon 1A to regulate tissue-specific imprinting of the Gnas gene [1].
• We show that a paternally derived targeted deletion of the germline differentially methylated region (DMR) associated with the antisense Nespas transcript unexpectedly affects both the expression of all transcripts in the cluster and methylation of two DMRs [1].
• These variants do not correspond to exons of the human antisense transcript although they start in the same region; the Nespas transcript, like its human counterpart, is spliced in various alternative patterns [2].

Biological context of Nespas

• We propose that Nespas is an additional control element in the imprinting region of mouse distal Chr 2; it adds further complexity to the Gnas-imprinted gene cluster [3].

Anatomical context of Nespas

• A germ line methylation mark was identified covering the promoters for Gnasxl and the antisense transcript Nespas [4].
• Nesp expression was primarily seen in the somites and vasculature, whereas Nespas was mainly detected in the progress zone, mesenchyme and ectoderm of the limb, and the neural tube [5].

References