Identification and Epigenetic Analysis of a Maternally Imprinted Gene Qpct

Mol Cells. 2015 Oct;38(10):859-65. doi: 10.14348/molcells.2015.0098. Epub 2015 Oct 12.

Abstract

Most imprinted genes are concerned with embryonic development, especially placental development. Here, we identified a placenta-specific imprinted gene Qpct. Our results show that Qpct is widely expressed during early embryonic development and can be detected in the telecephalon, midbrain, and rhombencephalon at E9.5b-E11.5. Moreover, Qpct is strikingly expressed in the brain, lung and liver in E15.5. Expression signals for Qpct achieved a peak at E15.5 during placental development and were only detected in the labyrinth layer in E15.5 placenta. ChIP assay results suggest that the modification of histone H3K4me3 can result in maternal activating of Qpct.

Keywords: H3K4me3; Qpct; expression patterns; imprinted gene; placenta.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aminoacyltransferases / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • DNA Methylation
  • Embryonic Development / genetics
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Genomic Imprinting*
  • Histones / genetics
  • Histones / metabolism*
  • Liver / embryology
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Lung / embryology
  • Lung / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mesencephalon / embryology
  • Mesencephalon / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mothers
  • Placenta / metabolism*
  • Placentation / genetics*
  • Pregnancy
  • Rhombencephalon / embryology
  • Rhombencephalon / metabolism
  • Telencephalon / embryology
  • Telencephalon / metabolism

Substances

  • Histones
  • Aminoacyltransferases
  • glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase