A pharmaceutical researcher is evaluating a nuclear enzyme inhibitor for the treatment of an inherited disorder. During an experiment, he extracts and purifies nuclear enzymes from skin cells of an affected patient. One of these enzymes is found to catalyze the methylation of cytosine residues in DNA using S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM) as the methyl donor. This enzyme most likely plays a crucial role in which of the following genetic processes?

Question

A pharmaceutical researcher is evaluating a nuclear enzyme inhibitor for the treatment of an inherited disorder.  During an experiment, he extracts and purifies nuclear enzymes from skin cells of an affected patient.  One of these enzymes is found to catalyze the methylation of cytosine residues in DNA using S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM) as the methyl donor.  This enzyme most likely plays a crucial role in which of the following genetic processes?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Genomic imprinting refers to the phenomenon in which an offspring's genes are expressed in a parent-specific manner.  Genomic imprinting is caused by DNA methylation, an epigenetic process in which genes can be silenced by attaching methyl groups to cytosine residues in the DNA molecule.

A Pharmaceutical Researcher Is Evaluating a Nuclear Enzyme Inhibitor for the Treatment