Meg3 - maternally expressed 3 Gene

This gene is paternally-imprinted and thus expressed predominantly from the maternal allele. It generates alternatively-spliced long non protein-coding RNAs that overlap with the MicroRNAs Mir770 and Mir1906-1. Transcripts from this gene function as negative regulators of growth and may be down-regulated in tumor cells. This gene is expressed in a reciprocal pattern from the nearby Dlk1 (delta-like 1 homolog) gene, which is paternally-expressed. Deletion of this locus disrupts imprinting in this genomic region and results in perinatal morbidity. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2013]