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Massively parallel cDNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) provides an unbiased way to study a transcriptome, including both coding and noncoding genes. Until now, most RNA-Seq studies have depended crucially on existing annotations and thus focused on expression levels and variation in known transcripts. Here, we present Scripture, a method to reconstruct the transcriptome of a mammalian cell using only RNA-Seq reads and the genome sequence. We applied it to mouse embryonic stem cells, neuronal precursor cells and lung fibroblasts to accurately reconstruct the full-length gene structures for most known expressed genes. We identified substantial variation in protein coding genes, including thousands of novel 5′ start sites, 3′ ends and internal coding exons. We then determined the gene structures of more than a thousand large intergenic noncoding RNA (lincRNA) and antisense loci. Our results open the way to direct experimental manipulation of thousands of noncoding RNAs and demonstrate the power of ab initio reconstruction to render a comprehensive picture of mammalian transcriptomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common aspect of gone regulation in all developmental systems is the sustained repression of key regulatory genes in inappropriate spatial or temporal domains. To understand the mechanism of transcriptional repression of the floral homeotic gone AGAMOUS (AG), we identified two mutations in the BELLRINGER (BLR) gone based on a striking floral phenotype, in which homeotic transformations from sepals to carpels are found in flowers derived from old terminating shoots. Furthermore, this phenotype is drastically enhanced by growth at a high temperature and by combining blr with mutants of LEUNIG and SEUSS, two putative transcriptional corepressors of AG. We showed that the floral phenotype of blr mutants is caused by derepression of AG, suggesting that BLR functions as a transcription repressor. Because BLR encodes a BELL1-like (BELL) homeobox protein, direct binding of BLR to AG cis-regulatory elements was tested by gel-shift assays, and putative BLR binding motifs were identified. In addition, these putative BLR binding motifs were shown to be conserved in 17 of the 29 Brassicaceae species by phylogenetic footprinting. Because BELL homeobox proteins are a family of plant-specific transcription factors with 12 members in Arabidopsis thaliana, our findings will facilitate the identification of regulatory targets of other BELL proteins and help determine their biological functions. The age-dependent and high temperature--enhanced derepression of AG in blr mutants led us to propose that AG expression might be regulated by a thermal time-dependent molecular mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal types in the central nervous system differ dramatically in their resilience to injury or other insults. Here we studied the selective resilience of mouse retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) following optic nerve crush (ONC), which severs their axons and leads to death of ∼80% of RGCs within 2 weeks. To identify expression programs associated with differential resilience, we first used single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) to generate a comprehensive molecular atlas of 46 RGC types in adult retina. We then tracked their survival after ONC; characterized transcriptomic, physiological, and morphological changes that preceded degeneration; and identified genes selectively expressed by each type. Finally, using loss- and gain-of-function assays in vivo , we showed that manipulating some of these genes improved neuronal survival and axon regeneration following ONC. This study provides a systematic framework for parsing type-specific responses to injury and demonstrates that differential gene expression can be used to reveal molecular targets for intervention. • 46 transcriptionally distinct type of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in mice • RGC types differ dramatically in survival following axonal transection • Different genes expressed by resilient and vulnerable RGC types • Manipulation of differentially expressed genes promotes RGC survival and regeneration High-throughput single-cell RNA-seq characterizes 46 types of adult mouse retinal ganglion cells and documents dramatic differences among them in their ability to survive axotomy. Manipulation of genes differentially expressed between resilient and vulnerable types enhances survival and axon regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]