Temperature-induced variation in gene expression burst size in metazoan cells

• DOI: 10.1186/s12867-015-0048-2
• Publication Date: 2015-11-25T06:37:53Z
• Authors: Ophélie Arnaud; Sam Meyer; Elodie Vallin; Guillaume Beslon; Olivier Gandrillon
• Keywords: mCherry; Transcription

Gene expression is an inherently stochastic process, owing to its dynamic molecular nature. Protein amount distributions, which can be acquired by cytometry using a reporter gene, inform about the mechanisms of underlying microscopic system. By different clones chicken erythroid progenitor cells harboring integration sites CMV-driven mCherry protein, we investigated dynamical behavior such distributions. We show that, on short term, clone distributions quickly regenerated from small population samples with high accuracy. On longer contrary, variations manifested correlated fluctuation in Mean Fluorescence Intensity. In search for possible cause this correlation, demonstrate that response temperature are able adjust their gene rate: modest (2 °C) increase external induces significant down regulation mean values, reverse effect observed when decreased. Using two-state model further acts modifying size transcription bursts, while burst frequency promoter less systematically affected. For first time, report key parameter metazoan homeotherm animals modify thermal stimulus.