Title: Identification of UTR sequences involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation of animal embryonic development
Abstract:
The development of a fertilized egg into an adult organism with different specialized cell types requires precise gene regulation. After transcription, mRNA expression is influenced by factors that bind the untranslated regions (UTRs), which can influence stability, translation, and sub-cellular localization. These factors often bind to mRNAs by recognizing short regulatory sequences in the UTRs. To better understand post-transcriptional gene regulation during animal development, we developed a novel method to perform unbiased identification of short UTR sequences that have dynamic prevalence in the transcriptome during development of various (~25) metazoan species. We reasoned that developmental stage-specific changes in the transcriptome-wide abundance of a given sequence could reflect the activity of a stage-specific post-transcriptional regulator that binds to that sequence. For example, we observe a strong depletion of specific sequences corresponding to targets of the microRNA miR-430/miR-427 during gastrula stages in vertebrates, which is consistent with the known role of these microRNAs in regulating maternal mRNA clearance during the maternal-to-zygotic transition. We have also identified several other sequences of interest with significantly differential abundance during development, both species-specific and shared across different species, which remain to be further characterized. Of note, across vertebrates, polypyrimidine sequences in the 5’UTR increase in abundance over time, which is consistent with the emergence of 5' TOP sequence-mediated regulation only later in development. Across metazoan species, we also found conserved enrichment of U-rich 3’UTR sequences in early stages in contrast to later stages, suggesting conserved roles for maternal mRNA regulation. The novel methods and findings of our study will help us better understand post-transcriptional gene regulation during animal embryonic development and beyond.
Lee Lab
Friday, April 5th, 2024
12:00PM
Langley A219B