GENOMIC IMPRINTING - NATURE AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Molecular genetic techniques allow investigators to trace chromosomes and genes from parent to child and, in a single individual, from tissu e to tissue. These techniques have uncovered a new type of gene contro l in which the allele from one parent is expressed and the allele from the other parent is not. This differential expression is called genom ic imprinting. It may lead to phenotypic differences when inheritance is from the mother versus the father. Genomic imprinting has been obse rved in a number of disorders having to do with growth, behavior, and abnormal cell growth. It is important to be aware that such a phenomen on exists and to consider it when making diagnoses and determining the rapy.