This infographic depicts the proposed method for visualizing transcription processes in vivo. Credit score: Institute of Science Tokyo
A newly developed mouse mannequin permits real-time visualization of RNA Polymerase II (RNAP2) throughout DNA transcription, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. The group engineered mice to provide a fluorescent antibody that binds particularly to RNAP2 throughout lively transcription. Their method enabled super-resolution imaging of transcription websites in dwelling cells, revealing variations in gene expression dynamics throughout cell sorts and developmental states.
Transcription is the mobile course of by which RNA is produced from DNA—a key step in gene expression and, in the end, the synthesis of proteins and practical RNA molecules. A necessary participant in transcription is RNA Polymerase II (RNAP2), a big protein advanced that unwinds DNA and coordinates the synthesis of the RNA strand.
RNAP2’s journey may be divided into two main phases: initiation and elongation. Throughout initiation, the advanced settles on the gene’s start line and begins constructing the primary brief stretch of RNA. After a pause, RNAP2 switches to elongation, throughout which it travels alongside the gene whereas steadily extending the RNA strand till the total transcript is produced.
To analyze how gene expression is managed intimately, scientists want to watch RNAP2 in motion. Nevertheless, at present obtainable instruments, resembling fluorescently tagged RNAP2, can’t clearly distinguish between the kinds that RNAP2 takes throughout initiation and elongation.
Towards this backdrop, a analysis group led by Professor Hiroshi Kimura of the Cell Biology Middle, Institute of Built-in Analysis at Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, developed an modern mouse mannequin that permits in vivo visualization of RNAP2 throughout elongation. Printed within the Journal of Molecular Biology on August 13, 2025, this research marks a essential step towards a extra full understanding of gene expression and its regulatory mechanisms in vivo.
The mannequin focuses on detecting Ser2 phosphorylation (Ser2ph), an necessary molecular modification that RNAP2 undergoes and maintains throughout elongation. The researchers genetically engineered mice to specific a modification-specific fluorescent intracellular antibody (additionally referred to as “mintbody”) that particularly binds to Ser2ph-modified RNAP2. Utilizing super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, the group was in a position to clearly visualize foci of transcription elongation within the nuclei of dwelling cells from numerous tissues.
“Our method revealed dynamic patterns of gene transcription activity in mouse tissues that were previously only observable in fixed samples,” says Kimura.
The researchers then analyzed how transcription elongation various relying on cell kind and developmental state, observing marked variations within the quantity and mobility of transcription websites. For instance, immune cells within the spleen exhibited distinctive transcription patterns, and proliferating cells typically displayed extra cell transcription foci in comparison with these in differentiated (mature) cells.
General, these experiments showcase how the proposed method might make clear the intricate means of transcription. “The newly developed mouse model offers a powerful tool for studying transcriptional regulation in vivo, with broad implications for understanding development, differentiation, environmental responses, aging, and disease mechanisms at the cellular level,” concludes Kimura. “It also holds promise for future applications in therapeutic development and precision medicine.”
Extra data:
Chihiro Matsuda et al, Group and Dynamics of Transcription Elongation Foci in Mouse Tissues, Journal of Molecular Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2025.169395
Supplied by
Institute of Science Tokyo
Quotation:
Unlocking key insights into gene expression utilizing a novel mouse mannequin (2025, November 11)
retrieved 11 November 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-11-key-insights-gene-mouse.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Aside from any truthful dealing for the aim of personal research or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is supplied for data functions solely.
