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Imprinting mechanisms in extraembryonic tissues

Reference	BBS/E/B/0000M150
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Wolf Reik
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Babraham Institute
Department	Babraham Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	182,959
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/03/2005
End date	28/02/2008
Duration	36 months

Abstract

An important part of gene regulation during development involves so-called epigenetic marks. These are chemical additions (for example methyl groups) to the DNA or to the chromatin (the histone proteins) and instruct genes to be active or inactive. There is increasing evidence that faults in these epigenetic marks can lead to diseases in humans, particularly those affecting growth or behaviour. Recently it has been realised that defects in cloned animals and some rare diseases that occur in children born form IVF, can be explained by defective epigenetic marks. Mistakes and mutation in imprinting and epigenetic gene regulation are increasingly in many human diseases and in cancers. In this application, we describe work on a new epigenetic mechanism based on attachment of methyl groups to histones, rather than DNA. It is likely that histone methylation confers a less stable imprint than DNA methylation and this could be relevant to the defects that occur in disease; further work as proposed in this application to the histone methylation mechanism will lead to insights into the stability or vulnerability of these marks to cloning and to environmental influences such as those occurring in IVF.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Genes & Developmental Biology (GDB)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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