Question

Which of the following is a characteristic of genomic imprinting?

(A) Most genes must bear the parent of origin imprint for proper expression.
(B) The parent of origin copy to be imprinted differs from gene to gene, and most genes require an imprint.
(C) The phenotype of a child with Prader Willi syndrome is different depending on whether the child has a deletion on chromosome 15 or UPD for the chromosome.
(D) During gamete formation, the imprint is removed from the genes and replaced with an imprint of the opposite sex.
(E) Imprinting does not disturb the primary DNA sequence.

Answer 1

Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon in which certain genes are expressed in a parent-of-origin-specific manner.

Step-by-step explanation:

The characteristic of genomic imprinting that is described in the options is option (B) - The parent of origin copy to be imprinted differs from gene to gene, and most genes require an imprint.

Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon where certain genes are expressed in a parent-of-origin-specific manner. This means that the expression of these genes is influenced by which parent the gene is inherited from. In most cases, the paternal and maternal copies of a gene can be differentially marked or imprinted, resulting in different gene expression patterns.

For example, some genes may be imprinted to have a stronger expression from the father's copy, while others may have a stronger expression from the mother's copy. The specific genes that require an imprint and the parent-of-origin copy that needs to be imprinted can vary from gene to gene.