{"title":"The evolution of genomic imprinting: Epigenetic control of mammary gland development and postnatal resource control.","authors":"Geula Hanin, Anne C Ferguson-Smith","doi":"10.1002/wsbm.1476","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genomic imprinting is an epigenetically regulated process leading to gene expression according to its parental origin. Imprinting is essential for prenatal growth and development, regulating nutritional resources to offspring, and contributing to a favored theory about the evolution of imprinting being due to a conflict between maternal and paternal genomes for the control of prenatal resources-the so-called kinship hypothesis. Genomic imprinting has been mainly studied during embryonic and placental development; however, maternal nutrient provisioning is not restricted to the prenatal period. In this context, the mammary gland acts at the maternal-offspring interface providing milk to the newborn. Maternal care including lactation supports the offspring, delivering nutrients and bioactive molecules protecting against infections and contributing to healthy organ development and immune maturation. The normal developmental cycle of the mammary gland-pregnancy, lactation, involution-is vital for this process, raising the question of whether genomic imprinting might also play a role in postnatal nutrient transfer by controlling mammary gland development. Characterizing the function and epigenetic regulation of imprinted genes in the mammary gland cycle may therefore provide novel insights into the evolution of imprinting since the offspring's paternal genome is absent from the mammary gland, in addition to increasing our knowledge of postnatal nutrition and its relation to life-long health. This article is categorized under: Developmental Biology > Developmental Processes in Health and Disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":49254,"journal":{"name":"Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Systems Biology and Medicine","volume":"12 3","pages":"e1476"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9000,"publicationDate":"2020-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1002/wsbm.1476","citationCount":"7","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Systems Biology and Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wsbm.1476","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2019/12/26 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 7
Abstract
Genomic imprinting is an epigenetically regulated process leading to gene expression according to its parental origin. Imprinting is essential for prenatal growth and development, regulating nutritional resources to offspring, and contributing to a favored theory about the evolution of imprinting being due to a conflict between maternal and paternal genomes for the control of prenatal resources-the so-called kinship hypothesis. Genomic imprinting has been mainly studied during embryonic and placental development; however, maternal nutrient provisioning is not restricted to the prenatal period. In this context, the mammary gland acts at the maternal-offspring interface providing milk to the newborn. Maternal care including lactation supports the offspring, delivering nutrients and bioactive molecules protecting against infections and contributing to healthy organ development and immune maturation. The normal developmental cycle of the mammary gland-pregnancy, lactation, involution-is vital for this process, raising the question of whether genomic imprinting might also play a role in postnatal nutrient transfer by controlling mammary gland development. Characterizing the function and epigenetic regulation of imprinted genes in the mammary gland cycle may therefore provide novel insights into the evolution of imprinting since the offspring's paternal genome is absent from the mammary gland, in addition to increasing our knowledge of postnatal nutrition and its relation to life-long health. This article is categorized under: Developmental Biology > Developmental Processes in Health and Disease.
期刊介绍:
Journal Name:Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Systems Biology and Medicine
Focus:
Strong interdisciplinary focus
Serves as an encyclopedic reference for systems biology research
Conceptual Framework:
Systems biology asserts the study of organisms as hierarchical systems or networks
Individual biological components interact in complex ways within these systems
Article Coverage:
Discusses biology, methods, and models
Spans systems from a few molecules to whole species
Topical Coverage:
Developmental Biology
Physiology
Biological Mechanisms
Models of Systems, Properties, and Processes
Laboratory Methods and Technologies
Translational, Genomic, and Systems Medicine