Parent-of-origin of alleles: an essential variable in in vivo experiments

Abstract

A recent study introduces a new method to quantify amyloid-β plaques in whole brains of mice to elucidate the variability in expressivity of a transgene widely used in Alzheimer’s disease research. The findings uncover a previously unrecognised imprinted pattern of transgene expression. This work highlights the importance of using in situ measurements that capture whole organs to reduce sampling errors and underscores the essential role of systematic documentation of genetics and breeding patterns for ensuring reproducibility.