Technological improvements have resulted in increased discovery of new microRNAs (miRNAs) and refinement and enrichment of existing miRNA families. miRNA families are important because they suggest a common sequence or structure configuration in sets of genes that hint to a shared function. Exploratory tools to enhance investigation of characteristics of miRNA families and the functions of fami...

Genomic imprinting is the process by which the expression of certain genes is silenced by epigenetic modifcations of the allele. These modifcations are mostly reversible and produce heritable gene regulation without any change to the underlying sequence itself. DNA methylation and histone modifications are the two main types of epigenetic modifications that have been found instrumental in the p...

Recent studies have provided evidence for non-canonical imprinting effects that are associated with allele-specific expression biases at the tissue level in mice. These imprinting effects have features that are distinct from canonical imprinting effects that involve allele silencing. Here, I discuss some of the evidence for non-canonical imprinting effects in the context of random X-inactivatio...

With recent advances in molecular genetics, a new mechanism proposed for the inheritance of Bipolar Disorder is Genomic Imprinting or Parent of Origin Affect. In this study of 79 consecutive first episode manic patients, predominantly male, we failed to establish the phenomenon of imprinting. With other proposed non-Mendelian patterns of inheritance, it may be that bipolar disorder is genetical...

Various explanations have been advanced for the evolution of genomic imprinting, the most popular of these being the parental conflict hypothesis. However, while this theory may explain why there has been selection for imprinting certain genes, it does not explain how the maternal and paternal genomes can be distinguished from each other. Here, we hypothesize that the temperature at which male ...