Department of Genetics
Silberman Institute of Life Sciences
Hebrew University
Title: Tuning the transcriptome: the fate of maternal mRNAs in early embryos
Abstract: Early development depends on carefully timed changes in gene expression, including the coordinated clearance of maternal mRNAs and the activation of the embryo’s own zygotic genes. How these processes are coordinated across species, developmental speeds, and different cell types is not well understood. In this talk, I will present a quantitative view of mRNA regulation in zebrafish embryos, showing how maternal mRNA decay and zygotic transcription work together to drive developmental transitions. We find that maternal mRNA decay scales with developmental speed and is influenced by 3′UTR sequences and poly(A) tails. Using single-cell analysis, we reveal cell-type–specific differences, including variation in transcription and decay rates across thousands of genes, and selective retention of maternal mRNAs in early-specified cells. These findings illustrate how conserved and species-specific mechanisms shape early embryonic development, revealing general principles of gene regulation during the maternal-to-zygotic transition.
Host: Marko Jovanovic
