Maternal Argonaute 2 is essential for early mouse development at the maternal-zygotic transition.

نویسندگان

  • Karin Lykke-Andersen
  • Michael J Gilchrist
  • Joanna B Grabarek
  • Partha Das
  • Eric Miska
  • Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
چکیده

Activation of zygotic gene expression in the two-cell mouse embryo is associated with destruction of maternally inherited transcripts, an important process for embryogenesis about which little is understood. We asked whether the Argonaute (Ago)/RNA-induced silencing complex, providing the mRNA "slicer" activity in gene silencing, might contribute to this process. Here we show that Ago2, 3, and 4 transcripts are contributed to the embryo maternally. By systematic knockdown of maternal Ago2, 3, and 4, individually and in combination, we find that only Ago2 is required for development beyond the two-cell stage. Knockdown of Ago2 stabilizes one set of maternal mRNAs and reduces zygotic transcripts of another set of genes. Ago2 is localized in mRNA-degradation P-bodies analogous to those that function in RNAi-like mechanisms in other systems. Profiling the expression of microRNAs throughout preimplantation development identified several candidates that could potentially work with Ago2 to mediate degradation of specific mRNAs. However, their low abundance raises the possibility that other endogenous siRNAs may also participate. Together, our results demonstrate that maternal expression of Ago2 is essential for the earliest stages of mouse embryogenesis and are compatible with the notion that degradation of a proportion of maternal messages involves the RNAi-machinery.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Ubiquitin-proteasome system modulates zygotic genome activation in early mouse embryos and influences full-term development

Maternal RNA/protein degradation and zygotic genome activation (ZGA), occurring during maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT), are the first essential events for the development of pre-implantation embryos. Previously, we have shown the importance of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) for initiation of minor ZGA at the 1-cell stage of mouse embryos. However, little is known about the mechanism...

متن کامل

Functional Analysis of Nocturnin, a Circadian Deadenylase, at Maternal-to-zygotic Transition in Mice

Degradation of maternally stored mRNAs after fertilization is an essential process for mammalian embryogenesis. Maternal mRNA degradation depending on deadenylases in mammalian early embryos has been mostly speculated, rather than directly demonstrated. Previously, we found that gene expression of nocturnin, which functions as a circadian clock-controlled deadenylase in mammalian cells, was cle...

متن کامل

The Smaug RNA-Binding Protein Is Essential for microRNA Synthesis During the Drosophila Maternal-to-Zygotic Transition

Metazoan embryos undergo a maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) during which maternal gene products are eliminated and the zygotic genome becomes transcriptionally active. During this process RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and the microRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC) target maternal mRNAs for degradation. In Drosophila, the Smaug (SMG), Brain tumor (BRAT) and Pumilio (PUM) RBPs bind to and ...

متن کامل

STAT Is an Essential Activator of the Zygotic Genome in the Early Drosophila Embryo

In many organisms, transcription of the zygotic genome begins during the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT), which is characterized by a dramatic increase in global transcriptional activities and coincides with embryonic stem cell differentiation. In Drosophila, it has been shown that maternal morphogen gradients and ubiquitously distributed general transcription factors may cooperate to upre...

متن کامل

Extending the maternal-zygotic effect with genomic imprinting.

Maternal effect refers to the genetic phenomenon in which a phenotype in the progeny is caused by a genetic mutation in the maternal genome rather than a mutation of its own. Maternal effect genes are usually involved in the maternal-to-zygotic transition during embryonic development before zygotic genes are turned on. Although it is widely observed in invertebrate organisms, it is not common i...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Molecular biology of the cell

دوره 19 10  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2008