NUTR 3360 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Dna Methylation, Deprogramming, Epigenome

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Nutrition
• Course: NUTR 3360
• Professor: Danyelle Liddle

Document Summary

Imprinted genes: heritable epigenetic modifications to dna(dna methylation, expression of a single functional allele. Parent of origin depedent (either from mom or dad) Potential for significant health consequences (protection offered from diploidy no longer exists: eolutionary origin of genomic imporinting: the genetic conflict theory. Normally we get 2 working copies of the genes, with imprinted genes, we only get one working allele, because the other one has been imprinted (silenced) during egg/sperm formation. Imprinted genes are silenced throughout life, but they are rest (demethylated) during gamete formation. This re-established sex-specific impring and the ability for totipotency (the ability to create all cell types. Imprinting is necessary for normal development (but there can be consequences that arrive from it. Characterized by obesity, excessive, hunger, sleep apnea: prader-willi syndrome, angelman syndrome. Different syndromes arise as a consequence of parental origin. Different segments of dna are silenced depending on the parental origin. 70% arise due to silencing of parental chromosome.