Maternal factor-mediated epigenetic gene silencing in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis
Maternal factor-mediated epigenetic gene silencing in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis
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DOI：
10.1007/s00438-009-0500-4
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
影响因子：
3.1
通讯作者：
Satoh, Nori
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Sasakura, Yasunori;Suzuki, Miho M.;Satoh, Nori
基因的表观遗传调控在发育过程中实现适当的基因表达中起着至关重要的作用，据报道，在许多生物体中，表观遗传修饰与转座子沉默有关。在这里，我们报道了一种表观遗传基因沉默，母体gfp/基因沉默（MGS），在基础脊索动物中。用Minos转座子构建的Ciona转基因系Tg[MiT-Fr3dTPOG] 45（简称Tg45）在Ci-CesA的启动子区串联插入gfp。当Tg45的卵子与其他转基因系的精子受精时，Tg45后代的GFP表达水平降低。虽然基因型相同，但从Tg45精子和其他转基因系的卵子发育而来的动物没有表现出这种现象，这表明母体细胞质因子参与了影响GFP表达的过程。沉默在卵子形成期间开始，并在受精后继续，没有任何组织特异性。我们发现gfp mRNA的转录后降解参与了MGS。
Epigenetic regulation of genes plays a critical role in achieving proper gene expression during development, and it has been reported that epigenetic modifications are associated with transposon silencing in many organisms. Here, we report a type of epigenetic gene silencing, maternal gfp/gene silencing (MGS), in the basal chordate Ciona intestinalis. A transgenic line of Ciona, Tg[MiT-Fr3dTPOG] 45 (abbreviated as Tg45), which was created with the Minos transposon, has a tandemly arrayed insertion of gfp in the promoter region of Ci-CesA. Progeny of Tg45 showed a reduced level of GFP expression when eggs of Tg45 were fertilized with sperm of other gfp transgenic lines. Although the genotype is the same, animals developed from Tg45 sperm and the eggs of other transgenic lines did not exhibit this phenomenon, suggesting the involvement of a maternal cytoplasmic factor that influences GFP expression. The silencing starts during oogenesis and continues after fertilization without any tissue specificity. We found that post-transcriptional degradation of the gfp mRNA is involved in MGS.