Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Allelic expression of IGF2 in live-bearing, matrotrophic fishes

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Development Genes and Evolution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The parental conflict, or kinship, theory of genomic imprinting predicts that parent-specific gene expression may evolve in species in which parental investment in developing offspring is unequal. This theory explains many aspects of parent-of-origin transcriptional silencing of embryonic growth regulatory genes in mammals, but it has not been tested in any other live-bearing, placental animals. A major embryonic growth promoting gene with conserved function in all vertebrates is insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2). This gene is imprinted in both eutherians and marsupials, as are several genes that modulate IGF2 activity. We have tested for parent-of-origin influences on developmental expression of IGF2 in two poeciliid fish species, Heterandria formosa and Poeciliopsis prolifica, that have evolved placentation independently. We found IGF2 to be expressed bi-allelically throughout embryonic development in both species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Greene MW, Chen TT (1997) Temporal expression pattern of insulin-like growth factor mRNA during embryonic development in a teleost, rainbow trout (Onchorynchus mykiss). Mol Mar Biol Biotechnol 6:144–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Haig D (1992) Genomic imprinting and the theory of parent-offspring conflict. Sem Dev Biol 3:153–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Haig D (2000) The kinship theory of genomic imprinting. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 31:9–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haynes JL (1995) Standardized classification of poeciliid development for life-history studies. Copeia 1995:147–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaenisch R, Wilmut I (2001) Developmental biology. Don’t clone humans! Science 291:2552

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaneda M, Okano M, Hata K, Sado T, Tsujimoto N, Li E, Sasaki H (2004) Essential role for de novo DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3a in paternal and maternal imprinting. Nature 429:900–903

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Killian JK, Byrd JC, Jirtle JV, Munday BL, Stoskopf MK, MacDonald RG, Jirtle RL (2000) M6P/IGF2R imprinting evolution in mammals. Mol Cell 5:707–716

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Killian JK, Nolan CM, Stewart N, Munday BL, Andersen NA, Nicol S, Jirtle RL (2001) Monotreme IGF2 expression and ancestral origin of genomic imprinting. J Exp Zool 291:205–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin CC, McGowan R (1995) Genotype-specific modifiers of transgene methylation and expression in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Genet Res 65:21–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Morison IM, Paton CJ, Cleverley SD (2001) The imprinted gene and parent-of-origin effect database. Nucleic Acids Res 29:275–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Neill MJ, Ingram RS, Vrana PB, Tilghman SM (2000) Allelic expression of IGF2 in marsupials and birds. Dev Genes Evol 210:18–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfaffl MW (2001) A new mathematical model for relative quantification in real-time RT-PCR. Nucleic Acids Res 29:e45

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Radaelli G, Patruno M, Maccatrozzo L, Funkenstein B (2003) Expression and cellular localization of insulin-like growth factor-II protein and mRNA in Sparus aurata during development. J Endocrinol 178:285–299

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reinecke M, Collet C (1998) The phylogeny of the insulin-like growth factors. Int Rev Cytol 183:1–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Reznick DN, Mateos M, Springer MS (2002) Independent origins and rapid evolution of the placenta in the fish genus Poeciliopsis. Science 298:1018–1020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosen DE, Bailey RM (1963) The poeciliid fishes (Cyprindontiformes), their structure, zoogeography, and systematics. Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 126:1–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Soucy S, Travis J (2003) Multiple paternity and population genetic structure in natural populations of the poeciliid fish, Heterandria formosa. J Evol Biol 16:1328–1336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilghman SM (1999) The sins of the fathers and mothers: genomic imprinting in mammalian development. Cell 96:185–193

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vrijenhoek RC (1993) The origin and evolution of clones versus the maintenance of sex in Poeciliopsis. J Hered 84:388–395

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkins JF, Haig D (2003) What good is genomic imprinting: the function of parent-specific gene expression. Nat Rev Genet 4:359–368

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#MCB-0110930) to M.J.O. and R.J.O.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Betty R. Lawton, Leila Sevigny, Craig Obergfell, Rachel J. O’Neill & Michael J. O’Neill

  2. Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    David Reznick

Authors
  1. Betty R. Lawton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Leila Sevigny
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Craig Obergfell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. David Reznick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Rachel J. O’Neill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Michael J. O’Neill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. O’Neill.

Additional information

Edited by R.P. Elinson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lawton, B.R., Sevigny, L., Obergfell, C. et al. Allelic expression of IGF2 in live-bearing, matrotrophic fishes. Dev Genes Evol 215, 207–212 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-004-0463-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-004-0463-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation