Summary: A new study explores mRNA regulation in embryonic development, shedding light on how pluripotent cells specialize. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and metabolic labeling on zebrafish embryos, the research team could distinguish newly synthesized mRNA from maternal contributions.
They discovered significant variations in how mRNA is regulated across different cell types, with specific patterns of transcription and degradation influencing cell identity. This study provides crucial insights into the mechanisms of cell fate determination and opens new research avenues in developmental biology.
Key Facts:
- Innovative Techniques: The study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing combined with metabolic labeling to track gene expression changes over time in developing zebrafish embryos.
- Findings on mRNA Dynamics: Researchers identified significant cell-type-specific variations in mRNA degradation rates, affecting how embryonic cells differentiate.
- Implications for Developmental Biology: The results offer a quantitative framework for understanding how gene expression regulation contributes to cell specialization during early development.
Source: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A new study led by PhD Student Lior Fishman and team under the guidance of researcher Dr. Michal Rabani from The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science at Hebrew University, and in collaboration with researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the USA, sheds light on the intricate process of mRNA regulation during embryonic development, providing novel insights into how pluripotent cells adopt specialized identities through gene expression.
Embryonic development involves pluripotent cells assuming specialized identities by adopting particular gene expression profiles. However, understanding the relative contributions of mRNA transcription and degradation to shaping these profiles has been challenging, particularly within embryos with diverse cellular identities.
In the study, researchers used a technique called single-cell RNA sequencing along with metabolic labelling to track how genes are turned on and off over time in zebrafish embryos.
They could tell apart the mRNA that was made new (from the embryo itself) and the mRNA that was already there (from the mother). Using mathematical models, they measured how fast genes were turned on and off in different types of cells as they developed.
The results of the study reveal highly varied regulatory rates across thousands of genes. The researchers observed coordinated transcription and destruction rates for many transcripts and linked differences in degradation to specific sequence elements.
Importantly, they identified cell-type-specific differences in degradation, including selective retention of maternal transcripts within primordial germ cells and enveloping layer cells, two of the earliest specified cell types.
Dr. Michal Rabani, senior author of the study, commented, “Our study provides a quantitative approach to studying mRNA regulation during a dynamic spatio-temporal response. This work opens up new avenues for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cell fate determination during embryonic development.”
The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of mRNA regulation and its role in shaping cellular identities during embryonic development. The research team hopes that their work will pave the way for future studies aimed at unraveling the complexities of gene expression regulation in various biological contexts.
About this genetics and fetal development research news
Author: Danae Marx
Source: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Contact: Danae Marx – Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Cell-type-specific mRNA transcription and degradation kinetics in zebrafish embryogenesis from metabolically labeled single-cell RNA-seq” by Michal Rabani et al. Nature Communications
Abstract
Cell-type-specific mRNA transcription and degradation kinetics in zebrafish embryogenesis from metabolically labeled single-cell RNA-seq
During embryonic development, pluripotent cells assume specialized identities by adopting particular gene expression profiles.
However, systematically dissecting the relative contributions of mRNA transcription and degradation to shaping those profiles remains challenging, especially within embryos with diverse cellular identities.
Here, we combine single-cell RNA-Seq and metabolic labeling to capture temporal cellular transcriptomes of zebrafish embryos where newly-transcribed (zygotic) and pre-existing (maternal) mRNA can be distinguished.
We introduce kinetic models to quantify mRNA transcription and degradation rates within individual cell types during their specification.
These models reveal highly varied regulatory rates across thousands of genes, coordinated transcription and destruction rates for many transcripts, and link differences in degradation to specific sequence elements.
They also identify cell-type-specific differences in degradation, namely selective retention of maternal transcripts within primordial germ cells and enveloping layer cells, two of the earliest specified cell types.
Our study provides a quantitative approach to study mRNA regulation during a dynamic spatio-temporal response.
