The SNRPN promoter is not required for genomic imprinting of the Prader-Willi/Angelman domain in mice

Abstract

In mice and humans, the locus encoding the gene for small nuclear ribonucleoprotein N (SNRPN/Snrpn), as well as other loci in the region are subject to genomic imprinting. The SNRPN promoter is embedded in a maternally methylated CpG island, is expressed only from the paternal chromosome and lies within an imprinting center that is required for switching to and/or maintenance of the paternal epigenotype. We show here that a 0.9-kb deletion of exon 1 of mouse Snrpn did not disrupt imprinting or elicit any obvious phenotype, although it did allow the detection of previously unknown upstream exons. In contrast, a larger, overlapping 4.8-kb deletion caused a partial or mosaic imprinting defect and perinatal lethality when paternally inherited.