Genome-Wide Analysis of Parent-of-Origin Allelic Expression in Endosperms of Brassicaceae Species, Brassica rapa

Uniparental gene expression, observed in both animals and plants, is termed genomic imprinting. Genomic imprinting is a well-known epigenetic phenomenon regulated through epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation and histone modifications. Recent genome-wide studies of endosperm transcription have revealed the rapid change of imprinted genes between species, suggesting the flexibility of this phenomenon. Although the functional significance and evolutionary trends of imprinted genes are still obscure, it can be clarified by inter-species comparisons. In this study, we analyzed the pattern of genomic imprinting in Brassica rapa, a species related to Arabidopsis thaliana. Compared with the ancient karyotype of A. thaliana and B. rapa, B. rapa has a triplicated genome. Many imprinted genes, beyond the estimated number previously reported in other species, were observed. Several imprinted genes have been conserved among species in Brassicaceae. We also observed rapid molecular evolution of imprinted genes compared to non-imprinted genes in B. rapa. Especially, imprinted gene overlapping between species showed more rapid molecular evolution and preferential expression in endosperms. It may imply that a small number of imprinted genes have retained functional roles among diverged species and have been the target of natural selection.