Placental imprinting

gene plays a critical role in regulating placental growth.

| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share

Mammalian imprinted genes are expressed from only one parental chromosome, and many are involved in regulating placental and fetal growth. It has been hypothesized that paternal imprinted genes favour the growth of the fetus, while maternally expressed genes restrict fetal growth. In the 27 June Nature, Constancia et al. describe the role of the paternally expressed Igf2 gene, encoding insulin-like growth factor II, in placental growth regulation (Nature 2002, 417:945-948).

They generated mice with a deletion in an Igf2 transcript that is expressed from a P0 promoter specific for the labryrinthine trophoblast cells of the placenta. Lack of the P0 transcript resulted in placental growth restriction from embryonic day 12. This caused a decrease in passive permeability and nutrient transfer across the placenta, leading to subsequent reductions in fetal growth.

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Jonathan Weitzman

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
Image of small blue creatures called Nergals. Some have hearts above their heads, which signify friendship. There is one Nergal who is sneezing and losing health, which is denoted by minus one signs floating around it.
June 2025, Issue 1

Nergal Networks: Where Friendship Meets Infection

A citizen science game explores how social choices and networks can influence how an illness moves through a population.

View this Issue
Unraveling Complex Biology with Advanced Multiomics Technology

Unraveling Complex Biology with Five-Dimensional Multiomics

Element Bioscience Logo
Resurrecting Plant Defense Mechanisms to Avoid Crop Pathogens

Resurrecting Plant Defense Mechanisms to Avoid Crop Pathogens

Twist Bio 
The Scientist Placeholder Image

Seeing and Sorting with Confidence

BD
The Scientist Placeholder Image

Streamlining Microbial Quality Control Testing

MicroQuant™ by ATCC logo

Products

The Scientist Placeholder Image

Agilent Unveils the Next Generation in LC-Mass Detection: The InfinityLab Pro iQ Series

parse-biosciences-logo

Pioneering Cancer Plasticity Atlas will help Predict Response to Cancer Therapies

waters-logo

How Alderley Analytical are Delivering eXtreme Robustness in Bioanalysis