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 tumor 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.
Other Names
ASM; D11S813E; H19, imprinted maternally expressed transcript (non-protein coding); LINC00008; MIR675HG; NCRNA00008
Related Genetics Topics
- Breast cancer — MedlinePlus Genetics
- Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome — MedlinePlus Genetics
- Silver-Russell syndrome — MedlinePlus Genetics
- Wilms tumor — MedlinePlus Genetics
Identifiers
- NCBI Gene: 283120
- OMIM: 103280
- OMIM: 616186
Source: MedlinePlus Genetics, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
