Is imprinting the result of "friendly fire" by the host defense system?
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ondicova M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7144951 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Is imprinting the result of "friendly fire" by the host defense system?
Ondičová Miroslava M Oakey Rebecca J RJ Walsh Colum P CP
PLoS genetics 20200409 4
In 1993, Denise Barlow proposed that genomic imprinting might have arisen from a host defense mechanism designed to inactivate retrotransposons. Although there were few examples at hand, she suggested that there should be maternal-specific and paternal-specific factors involved, with cognate imprinting boxes that they recognized; furthermore, the system should build on conserved biochemical factors, including DNA methylation, and maternal control should predominate for imprints. Here, we revisit ...[more]
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