Influencing the social group: the role of imprinted genes.

An optimal social environment is a product of all the individuals and their genes. The cohesive balance of a given social group is relatively flexible and can respond to different environmental conditions. However, it is not as yet clear how this plasticity in individual sociality is mediated. Imprinted genes are exquisitely dosage sensitive, and evidence is mounting for the importance of their function in modulating social behaviors. What is even more intriguing is the apparent modulatory ability of the early life environment on the levels of imprinted gene expression. Whether this is an adaptive response or a "bystander" consequence remains to be seen. Here, we discuss the outcome, and potential benefit, of the flexibility of these genes in a changeable social environment.