PUBLICATION
Uniform gene expression in embryos is achieved by temporal averaging of transcription noise
- Authors
- Stapel, L.C., Zechner, C., Vastenhouw, N.L.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-170915-9
- Date
- 2017
- Source
- Genes & Development 31(16): 1635-1640 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Stapel, Carine, Vastenhouw, Nadine
- Keywords
- ZGA, smFISH, stochastic transcription, uniform expression, zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Embryonic Development/genetics*
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
- Models, Genetic
- Stochastic Processes
- Transcription, Genetic
- Transcriptional Activation*
- Zebrafish/embryology
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish/metabolism
- PubMed
- 28903980 Full text @ Genes & Dev.
Citation
Stapel, L.C., Zechner, C., Vastenhouw, N.L. (2017) Uniform gene expression in embryos is achieved by temporal averaging of transcription noise. Genes & Development. 31(16):1635-1640.
Abstract
Transcription is often stochastic. This is seemingly incompatible with the importance of gene expression during development. Here we show that during zebrafish embryogenesis, transcription activation is stochastic due to (1) genes acquiring transcriptional competence at different times in different cells, (2) differences in cell cycle stage between cells, and (3) the stochastic nature of transcription. Initially, stochastic transcription causes large cell-to-cell differences in transcript levels. However, variability is reduced by lengthening cell cycles and the accumulation of transcription events in each cell. Temporal averaging might provide a general context in which to understand how embryos deal with stochastic transcription.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping