PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Yannick P. Hauser
AU  - Milou W.M. Meeuse
AU  - Dimos Gaidatzis
AU  - Helge Großhans
TI  - The BLMP-1 transcription factor promotes oscillatory gene expression to achieve timely molting
AID  - 10.1101/2021.07.05.450828
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.07.05.450828
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/07/05/2021.07.05.450828.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/07/05/2021.07.05.450828.full
AB  - Gene expression oscillators can coordinate developmental events in space and time. In C. elegans, a gene expression oscillator directs rhythmic accumulation of ∼25% of the transcriptome, and thus thousands of transcripts, presumably to control molting, a process of rhythmic skin regeneration. The mechanism and organization of the oscillator are not known. Here, we report that rhythmic RNA polymerase II recruitment to promoters produces transcript level oscillations. We identify BLMP-1, orthologous to the mammalian transcription repressor PRDM1, as a rhythmically accumulating transcription factor that is required for timely molting, and oscillatory gene expression. We propose a dual function for BLMP-1 in shaping oscillatory gene expression and coupling it to a set of direct targets, which ensures cuticular integrity. With mammalian PRDM1/BLIMP1 promoting regular cycles of postnatal hair follicle regeneration, our findings point to the possible existence of a fundamentally conserved clock mechanism in control of rhythmic skin regeneration.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.