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Non-Mendelian genetics. Gil McVean, Department of Statistics, Oxford. Genomic imprinting. Parent-of-origin specific expression Mammals, plants, insects. Paramutation. Inherited interactions between homologous alleles ‘Weak’ alleles convert ‘Strong’ alleles. Maternal effects.
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Non-Mendelian genetics Gil McVean, Department of Statistics, Oxford
Genomic imprinting • Parent-of-origin specific expression • Mammals, plants, insects
Paramutation • Inherited interactions between homologous alleles • ‘Weak’ alleles convert ‘Strong’ alleles
Maternal effects • Maternally derived products in embryos • Leads to death of non-carrier offspring
Phenotypic buffering • HSP90 chaperone can ‘mask’ the deleterious effects of mutation • Block HSP90 > mutations ‘exposed’ • Select for mutations • Exposed phenotype stable even with HSP90 Rutherford & Lindquist (1998)
Mechanisms of epigenetics • Methylation • Chromatin remodelling • Histone modification • RNA interference/interactions
Epigenetics and evolution • What selection pressures led to the origin of epigenetic systems? • Are epigenetically inherited characters important in evolution?