Transcriptomic Profiling at the Maternal-to-Zygotic Transition in Leech, Helobdella austinensis .
Samuel HsaioNaim SaglamDavid MorrowDaniel H ShainPublished in: Genes (2024)
The glossiphoniid leech, Helobdella austinensis , is an experimentally tractable member of the superphylum, Lophotrochozoa. Its large embryonic cells, stereotyped asymmetric cell divisions and ex vivo development capabilities makes it a favorable model for studying the molecular and cellular events of a representative spiralian. In this study, we focused on a narrow developmental time window of ~6-8 h, comprising stages just prior to and immediately following zygote deposition. Employing RNA-Seq methodology, we identified differentially expressed transcripts at this fundamental ontogenic boundary, known as the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT). Gene expression changes were characterized by the massive degradation of maternal RNAs (~45%) coupled with the rapid transcription of ~5000 zygotic genes (~20% of the genome) in the first mitotic cell cycle. The latter transcripts encoded a mixture of cell maintenance and regulatory proteins that predictably influence downstream developmental events.
Keyphrases
- single cell
- rna seq
- cell cycle
- gene expression
- birth weight
- cell proliferation
- pregnancy outcomes
- induced apoptosis
- transcription factor
- genome wide
- dna methylation
- cell therapy
- pregnant women
- physical activity
- signaling pathway
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- oxidative stress
- cell cycle arrest
- cross sectional
- body mass index
- bioinformatics analysis