ZNF597 is a zinc finger protein that functions as a transcriptional regulator and represents a human-specific maternally expressed imprinted gene located on chromosome 16.3 1. The gene exhibits parent-of-origin expression regulated by the ZNF597:TSS-DMR, where only the paternal allele acquires methylation during the postimplantation period 1. ZNF597 contains seven C2H2 zinc-finger motifs and shows tissue-specific expression patterns, with enrichment in brain tissue 2. The gene appears critical for early embryonic development, as homozygous knockout in mice results in embryonic lethality before cardiogenesis at embryonic day 7.5, while heterozygous mice show brain degeneration in the striatum and cingulate cortex 2. Loss of imprinting leads to ZNF597 overexpression, which has been associated with Silver-Russell syndrome-like phenotypes and hemimegalencephaly through potential modulation of mTOR signaling 13. Recent genome-wide association studies have identified ZNF597 as a novel locus potentially associated with Alzheimer's disease 4. The gene's imprinted status and expression regulation by DNA methylation appear conserved across mammalian species, including cattle 5.