Genomic imprinting, the differential marking of genes inherited from paternal and maternal sources, has been recognized since the late 1970s and is known to be involved in several inherited diseases. However, it is only very recently that questions surrounding the mechanisms of genomic imprinting have begun to be answered. This volume reviews the latest exciting developments, with full citations of all of the key bibliography. It also discusses the major unanswered questions in this field and outlines directions for future research. Topics covered in Genomic Imprinting include: the role of DNA methylation in mammalian development; developmental regulation of imprinting by DNA methylation; imprinting at the mouse and human IGF2R loci; function and epigenetic modification of the imprinted H19 gene; the imprinted insulin-like growth factor 2 gene; consequences of genomic imprinting for fetal development; genomic imprinting in the mouse; systematic approaches for the identification of imprinted genes; genomic imprinting as a developmental process disturbed in cancer; imprinting in the PraderWilli/Angelman syndrome region on human chromosome 15; convergent themes in X chromosome inactivation and autosomal imprinting; and evolutionary theories of genomic imprinting.

Author Biography

Dr Wolf Reik, The Babraham Institute, Babraham Hall, Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT. Email: wolf.reik@bbsrc.ac.uk Professor Azim Surani, Wellcome/CRC Institute, Cambridge