Exploring the role of transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes in mRNA co-expression

Co-expression of two or more genes at the single-cell level is usually associated with functional co-regulation. While mRNA co-expression-measured as the correlation in mRNA levels-can be influenced by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional events, transcriptional regulation is typically considered dominant. We review and connect the literature describing transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of co-expression. To enhance our understanding, we integrate four datasets spanning single-cell gene expression data, single-cell promoter activity data and individual transcript half-lives. Confirming expectations, we find that positive co-expression necessitates promoter coordination and similar mRNA half-lives. Surprisingly, negative co-expression is favored by differences in mRNA half-lives, contrary to initial predictions from stochastic simulations. Notably, this association manifests specifically within clusters of genes. We further observe a striking compensation between promoter coordination and mRNA half-lives, which additional stochastic simulations suggest might give rise to the observed co-expression patterns. These findings raise intriguing questions about the functional advantages conferred by this compensation between distal kinetic steps. We explore how transcriptional and post-transcriptional events drive single-cell mRNA co-expression. The analysis reveals that promoter coordination and similar mRNA half-lives drive positive mRNA co-expression. Yet, negative co-expression emerges from differing mRNA half-lives. Surprisingly, mESCs promoter activity and mRNA half-lives compensate for one another, potentially shaping co-expression patterns. image

Automated summary

Co-expression of two or more genes at the single-cell level is associated with functional co-regulation. Positive co-expression requires promoter coordination and similar mRNA half-lives, while negative co-expression emerges from differences in mRNA half-lives. There is a compensatory relationship between promoter coordination and mRNA half-lives, potentially shaping co-expression patterns.