What is genetic imprinting?
Quick Answer
Genetic imprinting is when only one parent’s copy of a gene is active, while the other is silenced. The effect depends on whether the gene came from the mother or the father.
The Full Story
Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon in which certain genes are expressed in a parent-of-origin-specific way. Chemical marks laid down in sperm or egg cells cause one allele to be silenced. This means the same mutation can have different effects depending on which parent passes it on. Imprinting disorders include Prader-Willi syndrome and Angelman syndrome, which affect different genes in the same region of chromosome 15.
Key Facts
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"Why mom’s copy and dad’s copy of a gene aren’t always equal"
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