The impact of genetic variants can differ based on their parent of origin, with some variants increasing disease risk when inherited from one parent and decreasing it from the other. Traditional research faced challenges due to the lack of genetic data from both parents of the individual studied. A recent study introduces a new statistical method capable of identifying parent-of-origin effects in genetic variants using available data from relatives, revealing complexities in gene expression and imprinting disorders influenced by genetic inheritance.
The study published in Nature describes a statistical method used to identify at least 30 parent-of-origin effects in 14 genes, demonstrating genetic variation between maternal and paternal inheritance.
Some genetic variants can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes when inherited from the father, but can lower it when inherited from the mother, showcasing opposing effects.
Imprinting disorders, such as Prader-Willi syndrome and Angelman syndrome, are linked to the expression of paternal and maternal gene copies, highlighting the complexities of gene inheritance.
The evolutionary conflict in gene silencing suggests that paternal genes promote offspring growth which may compromise maternal resources, while maternal genes aim to conserve resources for future offspring.
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