United Press International reported on 30 Apr that German scientists have found that genomic imprinting is not always essential for seed development -- a finding with implications for stem cell research.
Genomic imprinting is a form of gene regulation that starts early in life, causing certain genes to be expressed from only maternally inherited DNA, while others are expressed only from paternal DNA. The phenomenon is well known in mammals, but it also occurs in flowering plants.
In a fertilized seed the endosperm provides nutrients to the developing embryo. Scientists at the University of Cologne created a mutant plant in which the endosperm is derived solely from maternal DNA. They found, in a certain mutant background that affects chromatin remodeling, the endosperm can develop normally without a paternal contribution, suggesting genomic imprinting is not essential for seed development.
Mammalian embryos lacking appropriate imprints die, but the uniparental endosperm seedlings in the study were viable, although smaller than normal.
(Adapted from the journal Nature)
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