GSE138029
Temporal transcriptional profiling of in vivo cellular reprogramming and transorganogenesis in C. elegans
Cellular reprogramming of differentiated tissues within a living animal is a rare and poorly understood phenomenon. In the nematode C. elegans a single transcription factor, the endoderm-specific GATA factor ELT-7, is capable of reprogramming cells of the fully differentiated muscular feeding organ, the pharynx, into intestine-like cells. It can also convert the spermatheca and entire uterus into a secondary intestine-like organ, a phenomenon we have called “transorganogenesis.” To reveal transcriptional changes occurring during these cellular transformations, we performed mRNAseq in animals undergoing this forced reprogramming. This analysis revealed that gene expression characteristic of the post-embryonic pharynx and somatic gonad is dramatically altered within the first few hours following forced expression of ELT-7. Unexpectedly, we found that transcripts associated with a diverse assortment of cell types precipitously decrease in abundance ~6 hours after ELT-7 expression but later recover, implying substantial cell fate elasticity. Further, we observed that ELT-7 expression results in a rapid activation of the innate immune response that is specifically activated following intracellular infection by microsporidia and viruses. These findings raise the possibility that activation of an intracellular innate immunity mechanism may be associated with certain cell fate conversions and can serve as a roadmap for further investigation into the control and maintenance of fully differentiated cell fates. Overall design: Whole worm RNA-Seq profiling of control and ectopic elt-7 transcription factor expressing strains at 5 time points.