Transcription of functionally related constitutive genes is not coordinated

Saumil J. Gandhi, Daniel Zenklusen, Timothée Lionnet, Robert H. Singer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

89 Scopus citations

Abstract

Expression of an individual gene can vary considerably among genetically identical cells because of stochastic fluctuations in transcription. However, proteins comprising essential complexes or pathways have similar abundances and lower variability. It is not known whether coordination in the expression of subunits of essential complexes occurs at the level of transcription, mRNA abundance or protein expression. To directly measure the level of coordination in the expression of genes, we used highly sensitive fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to count individual mRNAs of functionally related and unrelated genes within single Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Our results revealed that transcript levels of temporally induced genes are highly correlated in individual cells. In contrast, transcription of constitutive genes encoding essential subunits of complexes is not coordinated because of stochastic fluctuations. The coordination of these functional complexes therefore must occur post-transcriptionally, and likely post-translationally.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)27-35
Number of pages9
JournalNature Structural and Molecular Biology
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Structural Biology
  • Molecular Biology

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