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Schmidt D, Reuter H, Hüttner K, Ruhe L, Rabert F, Seebeck F, Irimia M, Solana J, Bartscherer K. The Integrator complex regulates differential snRNA processing and fate of adult stem cells in the highly regenerative planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007828. [PMID: 30557303 PMCID: PMC6312358 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In multicellular organisms, cell type diversity and fate depend on specific sets of transcript isoforms generated by post-transcriptional RNA processing. Here, we used Schmidtea mediterranea, a flatworm with extraordinary regenerative abilities and a large pool of adult stem cells, as an in vivo model to study the role of Uridyl-rich small nuclear RNAs (UsnRNAs), which participate in multiple RNA processing reactions including splicing, in stem cell regulation. We characterized the planarian UsnRNA repertoire, identified stem cell-enriched variants and obtained strong evidence for an increased rate of UsnRNA 3'-processing in stem cells compared to their differentiated counterparts. Consistently, components of the Integrator complex showed stem cell-enriched expression and their depletion by RNAi disrupted UsnRNA processing resulting in global changes of splicing patterns and reduced processing of histone mRNAs. Interestingly, loss of Integrator complex function disrupted both stem cell maintenance and regeneration of tissues. Our data show that the function of the Integrator complex in UsnRNA 3'-processing is conserved in planarians and essential for maintaining their stem cell pool. We propose that cell type-specific modulation of UsnRNA composition and maturation contributes to in vivo cell fate choices, such as stem cell self-renewal in planarians.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Schmidt
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- * E-mail: (DS); (KB)
| | - Hanna Reuter
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katja Hüttner
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Larissa Ruhe
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Franziska Rabert
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Florian Seebeck
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Manuel Irimia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Solana
- Systems Biology of Gene Regulatory Elements, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kerstin Bartscherer
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research, CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail: (DS); (KB)
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