Genetic control of intra-uterine growth

The expression of a few genes in the human genome depends on whether they a re located on the maternal or on the paternal chromosome. This phenomenon i s called genomic imprinting. Several of these genes have a role in normal e mbryonic and fetal growth, as indicated by an abnormal development associat ed with disturbed genomic imprinting. This has lead to the suggestion that the genomic imprinting has evolved as a mechanism to regulate embryonic and fetal growth. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.