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Global Hypertranscription in the Mouse Embryonic Germline.
Michelle Percharde1, Priscilla Wong2, Miguel Ramalho-Santos1
1Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Cell Reports
|June 8, 2017
Summary
Mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) exhibit global transcriptome hyperactivity, a phenomenon termed hypertranscription. This increased transcriptional activity, including mRNAs and transposable elements, is crucial for germline development and function.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are essential for reproduction and evolution.
- The transcriptional program of PGCs is assumed to be well-characterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the global transcriptional landscape of mouse PGCs.
- To identify and characterize the phenomenon of transcriptional amplification in PGCs.
Main Methods:
- Cell-number-normalized genome-wide analyses of PGCs and somatic cells.
- Analysis of nascent transcription and translation rates.
- Investigating the role of Myc factors and P-TEFb.
Main Results:
- PGCs display a remarkable global upregulation of their transcriptome compared to somatic cells (hypertranscription).
- Transcriptional amplification affects mRNAs, rRNA, and transposable elements.
- Hypertranscription correlates with cell size and persists in later developmental stages, driven by specific transcription factors.
Conclusions:
- PGCs exhibit a unique state of global transcriptional hyperactivity.
- This hypertranscription is a fundamental aspect of germline development and function.
- The findings provide a new paradigm for understanding transcriptional regulation in germ cells.
