H19 imprinted maternally expressed transcript

Normal function

The H19 gene provides instructions for making a molecule of RNA, a chemical cousin of DNA. This RNA molecule is noncoding, which means that it does not contain instructions for making a protein. Researchers believe that this noncoding RNA acts as a tumour suppressor, keeping cells from growing and dividing too fast or in an uncontrolled way. The H19 gene is highly active in various tissues before birth and appears to play an important role in early development.

In most cases, people receive one copy of each gene from the egg cell and one copy from the sperm cell. Both copies are typically active, or "turned on," in cells. However, the activity of the H19 gene depends on whether the gene comes from the egg cell or the sperm cell. Typically, only the H19 gene inherited from the egg cell is active. This parent-specific difference in gene activation is called genomic imprinting.

A nearby region of DNA regulates the genomic imprinting of the H19 gene and another gene, called IGF2, that is important for growth and development. This region is known as an imprinting center or imprinting control region. In a process known as methylation, small molecules called methyl groups are added to the imprinting center to regulate the activity of the H19 and IGF2 genes. Typically, only the H19 imprinting center that is derived from the sperm cell is methylated. 

Conditions referring to this gene or chromosome

• سرطان الثدي

• متلازمة بيكويث-ويدمان

• متلازمة سيلفر-راسل

• Wilms tumour

Other names

ASM

D11S813E

H19, imprinted maternally expressed transcript (non-protein coding)

LINC00008

MIR675HG

NCRNA00008