Spatially coordinated dynamic gene transcription in living pituitary tissue

Autor: Karen Featherstone, Kirsty Hey, Hiroshi Momiji, Anne V McNamara, Amanda L Patist, Joanna Woodburn, David G Spiller, Helen C Christian, Alan S McNeilly, John J Mullins, Bärbel F Finkenstädt, David A Rand, Michael RH White, Julian RE Davis
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: eLife, Vol 5 (2016)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2050-084X
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.08494
Popis: Transcription at individual genes in single cells is often pulsatile and stochastic. A key question emerges regarding how this behaviour contributes to tissue phenotype, but it has been a challenge to quantitatively analyse this in living cells over time, as opposed to studying snap-shots of gene expression state. We have used imaging of reporter gene expression to track transcription in living pituitary tissue. We integrated live-cell imaging data with statistical modelling for quantitative real-time estimation of the timing of switching between transcriptional states across a whole tissue. Multiple levels of transcription rate were identified, indicating that gene expression is not a simple binary ‘on-off’ process. Immature tissue displayed shorter durations of high-expressing states than the adult. In adult pituitary tissue, direct cell contacts involving gap junctions allowed local spatial coordination of prolactin gene expression. Our findings identify how heterogeneous transcriptional dynamics of single cells may contribute to overall tissue behaviour.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals