mRNA 3′ uridylation and poly(A) tail length sculpt the mammalian maternal transcriptome

摘要

A fundamental principle in biology is that the program for early development is established during oogenesis in the form of the maternal transcriptome^,. How the maternal transcriptome acquires the appropriate content and dosage of transcripts is not fully understood. Here we show that TUT4/7-mediated mRNA 3′ terminal uridylation sculpts the mouse maternal transcriptome by eliminating transcripts during oocyte growth. TUT4/7-mediated uridylation is essential for both oocyte maturation and fertility. In comparison to somatic cells, the oocyte transcriptome displays shorter poly(A) tail length and a high relative proportion of terminal oligo-uridylation. TUT4/7 deletion leads to the accumulation of a cohort of transcripts with a high frequency of very short poly(A) tails and a loss of 3′ oligo-uridylation. In contrast, TUT4/7-deficiency does not alter gene expression in a variety of somatic cells. In summary, we show essential and specific functions for poly(A) tail length and 3′ terminal uridylation in sculpting a functional maternal transcriptome.