Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
Biol Reprod. 2020 Apr 24;102(5):999-1010. doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioaa004.
Alternative splicing (AS) of mRNA precursors allows the synthesis of multiple mRNAs from a single primary transcript, significantly expanding the information content and regulatory possibilities of higher eukaryotic genomes. During mammalian development, AS drives certain decisive changes in different physiological processes. As development progresses, the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) will trigger two processes: elimination of a subset of maternal mRNA and transcription of the zygote genome begins. Recent high-throughput technological advancements have facilitated genome-wide AS, whereas its analysis in mouse oocyte transition to the zygote stage has not been reported. We present a high-resolution global analysis of AS transitions and discovered extensive AS transitions between mouse oocyte and zygote. The difference of AS patterns was further confirmed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Many genes with specific AS events in mouse oocytes are differentially expressed between oocyte and zygote, but only a few genes with specific AS events in zygote are differentially expressed between oocyte and zygote. We provide a landscape of AS events in mouse oocyte and zygote. Our results advance the understanding of AS transitions during mouse fertilization and its potential functions for MZT and further development.
mRNA 前体的选择性剪接 (AS) 允许从单个初级转录物中合成多个 mRNA，从而显著扩展了真核生物基因组的信息含量和调控可能性。在哺乳动物发育过程中，AS 推动了不同生理过程中的某些决定性变化。随着发育的进行，母源到合子的转变 (MZT) 将引发两个过程：一部分母源 mRNA 的消除和合子基因组的转录开始。最近高通量技术的进步促进了全基因组 AS 的研究，然而，在小鼠卵母细胞向合子阶段的转变过程中的 AS 分析尚未报道。我们对 AS 转变进行了高分辨率的全基因组分析，发现了小鼠卵母细胞和合子之间广泛的 AS 转变。通过逆转录聚合酶链反应分析进一步证实了 AS 模式的差异。在小鼠卵母细胞中具有特定 AS 事件的许多基因在卵母细胞和合子之间表达差异，但在合子中具有特定 AS 事件的少数基因在卵母细胞和合子之间表达差异。我们提供了小鼠卵母细胞和合子中 AS 事件的全景图。我们的结果推进了对小鼠受精过程中 AS 转变及其在 MZT 和进一步发育中的潜在功能的理解。
