title: Transcriptional Memory in the Drosophila Embryo.
abstract: Transmission of active transcriptional states from mother to daughter cells has the potential to foster precision in the gene expression programs underlying development. Such transcriptional memory has been specifically proposed to promote rapid reactivation of complex gene expression profiles after successive mitoses in Drosophila development [1]. By monitoring transcription in living Drosophila embryos, we provide the first evidence for transcriptional memory in animal development. We specifically monitored the activities of stochastically expressed transgenes in order to distinguish active and inactive mother cells and the behaviors of their daughter nuclei after mitosis. Quantitative analyses reveal that there is a 4-fold higher probability for rapid reactivation after mitosis when the mother experienced transcription. Moreover, memory nuclei activate transcription twice as fast as neighboring inactive mothers, thus leading to augmented levels of gene expression. We propose that transcriptional memory is a mechanism of precision, which helps coordinate gene activity during embryogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, PSL Research University, UMR 3664/UMR 168, Paris 75248, France; CNRS, UMR 3664/UMR 168/UMR 8549/UMR 8550, Paris 75248, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University Paris 06, UMR 3664/UMR 168, Paris 75248, France; PSL, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR 8549, Paris 75005, France.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ferraro
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Biology Department, GDD, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Lewis-Sigler Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Biology Department, GDD, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Laure
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Biology Department, GDD, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, PSL Research University, UMR 3664/UMR 168, Paris 75248, France; CNRS, UMR 3664/UMR 168/UMR 8549/UMR 8550, Paris 75248, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University Paris 06, UMR 3664/UMR 168, Paris 75248, France.
authors.forename: Tanguy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, PSL Research University, UMR 3664/UMR 168, Paris 75248, France; CNRS, UMR 3664/UMR 168/UMR 8549/UMR 8550, Paris 75248, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University Paris 06, UMR 3664/UMR 168, Paris 75248, France.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coppey
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, PSL Research University, UMR 3664/UMR 168, Paris 75248, France; CNRS, UMR 3664/UMR 168/UMR 8549/UMR 8550, Paris 75248, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University Paris 06, UMR 3664/UMR 168, Paris 75248, France.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dostatni
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 3664/UMR 168/UMR 8549/UMR 8550, Paris 75248, France; PSL, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR 8549, Paris 75005, France.
authors.forename: Aleksandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Walczak
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Biology Department, GDD, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Lewis-Sigler Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. Electronic address: msl2@princeton.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Biology Department, GDD, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; IGMM, CNRS, UMR 5535, Montpellier 34293, France. Electronic address: mounia.lagha@igmm.cnrs.fr.
authors.forename: Mounia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors