H19 (gene)

H19 is a gene for a long noncoding RNA, found in humans and elsewhere. H19 has a role in the negative regulation (or limiting) of body weight and cell proliferation. This gene also has a role in the formation of some cancers and in the regulation of gene expression. The H19 gene is expressed exclusively on one parental allele in a phenomenon known as imprinting. H19 is only transcribed from the maternally inherited allele; the paternal H19 allele is not expressed. H19 was first named ASM (for Adult Skeletal Muscle) because of its expression in adult skeletal muscle ("ASM") in rats. H19 is also known as BWS because aberrant H19 expression can be involved in Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome ("BWS"), as well as Silver-Russell syndrome. Epigenetics deregulations at H19 imprinted gene in sperm have been observed associated with male infertility.