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.[3] This gene also has a role in the formation of some cancers and in the regulation of gene expression.[4]
The H19 gene is expressed exclusively on one parental allele in a phenomenon known as imprinting.[5] H19 is only transcribed from the maternally inherited allele; the paternal H19 allele is not expressed.[6] H19 was first named ASM (for Adult Skeletal Muscle) because of its expression in adult skeletal muscle ("ASM") in rats.[7] H19 is also known as BWS because aberrant H19 expression can be involved in Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome ("BWS"), as well as Silver-Russell syndrome.[8] Epigenetics deregulations at H19 imprinted gene in sperm have been observed associated with male infertility.[9]