Deterministic and stochastic allele specific gene expression in single mouse blastomeres

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Genetics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Allele specific gene expression (ASE) may influence single-cell phenotypes during early development.
• The precise role and characteristics of ASE at the onset of mouse embryogenesis remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent and nature of stochastic and deterministic allele specific gene expression in early mouse development.
• To analyze transcriptomic changes and allele-specific expression patterns in single blastomeres of mouse embryos.

Main Methods:

• Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) of individual blastomeres from mouse embryos.
• Analysis of genetic polymorphisms to identify and quantify allele-specific expression.
• Comparison of transcriptomes between blastomeres from the same embryo and between early blastomeres and epiblast cells.

Main Results:

• Significant transcriptomic changes were observed in single blastomeres.
• Over half of transcripts with detectable genetic polymorphisms exhibited ASE.
• Individual blastomeres from the same two-cell embryo displayed similar ASE patterns, though 6% showed stochastic expression.

Conclusions:

• Allele specific gene expression in early mouse blastomeres is both deterministic and stochastic.
• The abundance of shorter 3'UTRs in early blastomeres suggests increasing importance of microRNA-mediated gene regulation during development.