Control of cell state transitions by post-transcriptional regulation

Abstract

Cell state transitions are prevalent in biology, playing a fundamental role in development, homeostasis and repair. Dysregulation of cell state transitions can lead to or occur in a wide range of diseases. In this letter, I explore and highlight the role of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in determining the dynamics of cell state transitions. I propose that regulation of protein levels after transcription provides an under-appreciated regulatory route to obtain fast and sharp transitions between distinct cell states. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Causes and consequences of stochastic processes in development and disease’.

Stochastic processes in development and disease

“…This epigenetic repression of gene expression noise suggests evolution of noise-buffering mechanisms. Carla Mulas [ 10 ] provides another example of transcriptional noise buffering: post-transcriptional modification of proteins to achieve rapid and coherent transitions in cell state during differentiation of stem cells, providing greater synchronicity than would be expected from the variable levels of their transcripts. Various presentations during the meeting also discussed buffering through redundancy; at the molecular level through feedback loops or complementary branches of gene regulatory networks, at the organelle level by sequestration of ‘excess’ proteins in phase separated compartments [ 11 ] and at the cellular level as exemplified by the dispensability of practically any individual cell during vertebrate morphogenesis.…”