2. Academic Validation
  3. Maternal TDP-43 interacts with RNA Pol II and regulates zygotic genome activation

Maternal TDP-43 interacts with RNA Pol II and regulates zygotic genome activation

  • Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 17;14(1):4275. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39924-1.
Xiaoqing Nie # 1 2,  Qianhua Xu # 3 4,  Chengpeng Xu # 1 2,  Fengling Chen # 3 4,  Qizhi Wang 1 2,  Dandan Qin 1,  Rui Wang 1,  Zheng Gao 5,  Xukun Lu 3 4,  Xinai Yang 1 2,  Yu Wu 1 2,  Chen Gu 1 2,  Wei Xie 6 7,  Lei Li 8 9
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration, Beijing Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • 2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • 3 Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
  • 4 Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • 5 Reproductive Medicine Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
  • 6 Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. xiewei121@tsinghua.edu.cn.
  • 7 Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China. xiewei121@tsinghua.edu.cn.
  • 8 State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration, Beijing Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. lil@ioz.ac.cn.
  • 9 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. lil@ioz.ac.cn.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 37460529 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39924-1
Abstract

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is essential for early embryonic development. However, the regulation of ZGA remains elusive in mammals. Here we report that a maternal factor TDP-43, a nuclear transactive response DNA-binding protein, regulates ZGA through RNA Pol II and is essential for mouse early embryogenesis. Maternal TDP-43 translocates from the cytoplasm into the nucleus at the early two-cell stage when minor to major ZGA transition occurs. Genetic deletion of maternal TDP-43 results in mouse early embryos arrested at the two-cell stage. TDP-43 co-occupies with RNA Pol II as large foci in the nucleus and also at the promoters of ZGA genes at the late two-cell stage. Biochemical evidence indicates that TDP-43 binds Polr2a and Cyclin T1. Depletion of maternal TDP-43 caused the loss of Pol II foci and reduced Pol II binding on chromatin at major ZGA genes, accompanied by defective ZGA. Collectively, our results suggest that maternal TDP-43 is critical for mouse early embryonic development, in part through facilitating the correct RNA Pol II configuration and zygotic genome activation.

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