Question

Choose the wrong statement in the regulation of imprinting.

(a) Methylation of the C residues are seen in the CpG islands

(b) The methylation prevents binding of the RNA polymerase

(c) Genes are methylated at random

(d) Deletion of gene with methylated CpG islands will have no effect

This question was addressed to me by my college professor while I was bunking the class.

Enquiry is from Silencing and Genomic Imprinting in section Regulating Gene Expression in Eukaryotes of Cytogenetics

Answer 1

Correct answer is (c) Genes are methylated at random

Easy explanation: In the case of imprinting which of the allele’s CpG island is methylated depends on the parent from which it is inherited. This shows that the methylation is not random but related to imprinting.