Two imprinted gene mutations: three phenotypes

Genetic modifications of imprinted genes have been generated in the mouse to investigate the regulation of their expression. They show classical imprinted gene inheritances. Here we describe two imprinted gene mutations deriving from mutagenesis experiments. One is expressed only when transmitted through males. It causes a prenatal growth retardation which resembles that of the Igf2 knockout and maps close to the locus on chromosome 7. Differences from the knockout, which include an abnormal head phenotype, homozygous lethality, and an inability to rescue a Tme (Igf2r-deficient) lethality, suggest that Igf2 itself may not be directly affected. The second mutation maps close to the Gnas cluster of imprinted genes on distal chromosome 2. It gives two distinct phenotypes according to parental origin, a gross neonatal oedema with microcardia and a postnatal growth retardation. The oedema phenotype is effectively lethal and resembles that of mice with paternal partial disomy for distal chromosome 2, as well as that of mice having a maternally derived Gnas exon 2 knockout. However, the second growth retardation phenotype differs from that of the maternal partial disomy and the paternal knockout. A hypothesis to explain the phenotypes associated with the three genotypes based on the Nesp/Nespas sense/antisense and Gnasxl transcripts in the Gnas cluster is offered.