Principal Investigator Rudolf Jaenisch
Imprinted genes are expressed either from the maternal or the paternal allele but not from both and we have shown that monoallelic expression of imprinted genes depends on DNA methylation. It has been suggested that faulty imprinting in cloned animals derived by nuclear transfer contributes to the abnormal phenotype (“Larger Offspring syndrome”). Indeed, the analysis of cloned pups showed widespread dysregulation of imprinted genes. To directly test whether imprinting has an intrinsic role in development we are generating “non-imprinted” mice from “non-imprinted” embryonic stem cells by nuclear transplantation.