The CDKN1C gene provides instructions for making a protein that helps regulate growth. This protein acts as a tumor suppressor, which means that it keeps cells from growing and dividing too fast or in an uncontrolled way. It is also active before birth; it regulates growth and prevents the developing fetus from becoming too large.
In most cases, one copy of each gene is derived from the sperm cell and one copy is derived from the egg cell. Both copies are typically active, or “turned on,” in cells. However, the activity of the CDKN1C gene differs depending on whether the gene comes from the sperm cell or the egg cell. In most tissues, the copy of the gene that comes from the egg cell is more active than the copy that comes from the sperm cell. This sort of parent-specific difference in gene activation is called genomic imprinting.
A nearby region of DNA undergoes a process called methylation in which small molecules called methyl groups are used to regulate the genomic imprinting of the CDKN1C gene. This region is known as an imprinting center or imprinting control region. In most cases, this imprinting center is methylated only when it comes from the egg cell.
Other Names
BWCR; KIP2; p57; p57KIP2
Related Genetics Topics
- Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome — MedlinePlus Genetics
- Silver-Russell syndrome — MedlinePlus Genetics
- IMAGe syndrome — MedlinePlus Genetics
Identifiers
- NCBI Gene: 1028
- OMIM: 600856
Source: MedlinePlus Genetics, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
