Tissue-specific and imprinted epigenetic modifications of the human NDN gene.
Allele-specific DNA methylation, histone acetylation and histone methylation are recognized as epigenetic characteristics of imprinted genes and imprinting centers (ICs). These epigenetic modifications are also used to regulate tissue-specific gene expression. Epigenetic differences between alleles can be significant either in the function of the IC or in the cis-acting effect of the IC on 'target' genes responding to it. We have now examined the epigenetic characteristics of NDN, a target gene of the chromosome 15q11-q13 Prader-Willi Syndrome IC, using sodium bisulfite sequencing to analyze DNA methylation and chromatin immunoprecipitation to analyze histone modifications. We observed a bias towards maternal allele-specific DNA hypermethylation of the promoter CpG island of NDN, independent of tissue-specific transcriptional activity. We also found that NDN lies in a domain of paternal allele-specific histone hyperacetylation that correlates with transcriptional state, and a domain of differential histone H3 lysine 4 di- and tri-methylation that persists independent of transcription. These results suggest that DNA methylation and histone H3 lysine 4 methylation are persistent markers of imprinted gene regulation while histone acetylation participates in tissue-specific activity and silencing in somatic cells.[1]References
- Tissue-specific and imprinted epigenetic modifications of the human NDN gene. Lau, J.C., Hanel, M.L., Wevrick, R. Nucleic Acids Res. (2004) [Pubmed]
Annotations and hyperlinks in this abstract are from individual authors of WikiGenes or automatically generated by the WikiGenes Data Mining Engine. The abstract is from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.About WikiGenesOpen Access LicencePrivacy PolicyTerms of Useapsburg
