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Published on: September 12, 2020
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Transcript accumulation rates in the early Caenorhabditis elegans embryo
Priya Sivaramakrishnan1, Cameron Watkins1, John Isaac Murray1
1Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Science Advances
|August 23, 2023
Summary
Early C. elegans embryos rapidly produce high levels of transcription factor mRNAs to manage cell fate decisions. This study quanties these rapid transcription rates genome-wide for the first time.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Rapid cell fate decisions in developing embryos require dynamic transcriptional regulation.
- The Caenorhabditis elegans embryo utilizes rapid transcription factor mRNA production to overcome developmental constraints.
- Genome-scale measurements of zygotic mRNA accumulation rates are currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate genome-wide zygotic mRNA accumulation rates in the early C. elegans embryo.
- To identify genomic features and promoter elements associated with high transcription rates.
- To understand the contribution of transcriptional kinetics to developmental decisions.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell RNA sequencing data was integrated with single-molecule transcript imaging.
- Zygotic mRNA accumulation rates were estimated using calibrated sequencing data.
- Core promoter elements of high-rate genes were identified and their contributions measured.
Main Results:
- Rapid transcription is prevalent in the early C. elegans embryo, peaking shortly after zygotic transcription initiation.
- Genes with high transcription rates are frequently cell-fate regulators and show shared genomic characteristics.
- Specific promoter motifs contribute modestly to mRNA accumulation rates, indicating multifactorial control.
Conclusions:
- This study provides genome-scale estimates of early embryonic transcription kinetics.
- High transcription rates are linked to duplicated cell-fate regulators and specific genomic features.
- Understanding transcriptional dosage is crucial for deciphering developmental decision-making processes.
