Expression profiling of uniparental mouse embryos is inefficient in identifying novel imprinted genes

Genomics. 2006 Apr;87(4):509-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2005.12.007. Epub 2006 Feb 7.

Abstract

Imprinted genes are expressed from only one allele in a parent-of-origin-specific manner. We here describe a systematic approach to identify novel imprinted genes using quantification of allele-specific expression by Pyrosequencing, a highly accurate method to detect allele-specific expression differences. Sixty-eight candidate imprinted transcripts mapping to known imprinted chromosomal regions were selected from a recent expression profiling study of uniparental mouse embryos and analyzed. Three novel imprinted transcripts encoding putative non-protein-coding RNAs were identified on the basis of parent-of-origin-specific monoallelic expression in E11.5 (C57BL/6 x Cast/Ei)F1 and informative (C57BL/6 x Cast/Ei) x C57BL/6 backcross embryos. In addition, four transcripts with preferential expression of a strain-specific allele were found. Intriguingly, a vast majority of the analyzed transcripts showed no imprinting-associated expression in F1 embryos. These data strengthen the view that a large fraction of nonimprinted genes is differentially expressed between parthenogenetic and androgenetic embryos and question the efficiency of expression profiling of uniparental embryos to identify novel imprinted genes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Animals
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes
  • Crosses, Genetic
  • DNA / genetics
  • DNA / isolation & purification
  • DNA, Complementary / genetics
  • Databases, Genetic
  • Embryo, Mammalian
  • Female
  • Gene Expression
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genomic Imprinting*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred Strains
  • Models, Genetic
  • Parthenogenesis*
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Prader-Willi Syndrome / genetics
  • Pregnancy
  • RNA / isolation & purification
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Software
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • DNA, Complementary
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA
  • DNA