Mom's influence comes first

Genome-wide analysis of mice brains has found that maternally inherited genes are expressed preferentially in the developing brain, while the pattern shifts decisively in favor of paternal influence by adulthood. The researchers report having identified 1,300 genes active in the mouse brain that show some degree of parental bias, greatly expanding on the 45 previously known “imprinted genes” expressed in the brain. Fewer than 100 imprinted genes had been known to exist in the body, suggesting they may be far more common than previously thought.read more

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