Department of Biotechnology
inStem (Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine)

A regulatory network of microRNAs confers lineage commitment during early developmental trajectories of B and T lymphocytes.

Publication Type

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Date of Publication

November 16, 2021

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Volume/Issue

118/46

ISSN

1091-6490

The commitment of hematopoietic multipotent progenitors (MPPs) toward a particular lineage involves activation of cell type-specific genes and silencing of genes that promote alternate cell fates. Although the gene expression programs of early-B and early-T lymphocyte development are mutually exclusive, we show that these cell types exhibit significantly correlated microRNA (miRNA) profiles. However, their corresponding miRNA targetomes are distinct and predominated by transcripts associated with natural killer, dendritic cell, and myeloid lineages, suggesting that miRNAs function in a cell-autonomous manner. The combinatorial expression of miRNAs miR-186-5p, miR-128-3p, and miR-330-5p in MPPs significantly attenuates their myeloid differentiation potential due to repression of myeloid-associated transcripts. Depletion of these miRNAs caused a pronounced de-repression of myeloid lineage targets in differentiating early-B and early-T cells, resulting in a mixed-lineage gene expression pattern. De novo motif analysis combined with an assay of promoter activities indicates that B as well as T lineage determinants drive the expression of these miRNAs in lymphoid lineages. Collectively, we present a paradigm that miRNAs are conserved between developing B and T lymphocytes, yet they target distinct sets of promiscuously expressed lineage-inappropriate genes to suppress the alternate cell-fate options. Thus, our studies provide a comprehensive compendium of miRNAs with functional implications for B and T lymphocyte development.

Alternate Journal

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

PubMed ID

34750254

PubMed Central ID

PMC8609617

Authors

Sameena Nikhat
Anurupa D Yadavalli
Arpita Prusty
Priyanka K Narayan
Dasaradhi Palakodeti
Cornelis Murre
Jagan M R Pongubala

Keywords

Mice
MicroRNAs
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression
Gene Regulatory Networks
Animals
T-Lymphocytes
Cell Differentiation
B-Lymphocytes
Cell Lineage
Myeloid Cells
Hematopoietic Stem Cells