Genomic imprinting leads to the differential expression of parental alleles after fertilization. Imprinting appears to have evolved independently in mammals and flowering plants to regulate the development of nutrient-transfer placental tissues. In addition, the regulation of imprinting in both mammals and flowering plants involves changes in DNA methylation and histone methylation, thus suggesting that the epigenetic signals that regulate imprinting have been co-opted in these distantly related species.
