Temporal regulation of Lin28a during mammalian neurulation contributes to neonatal body size control

Abstract

Background: The timing of developmental events is tightly regulated along a time axis for normal development. Although the RNA-binding protein Lin28a plays a crucial role in the regulation of developmental timing in Caenorhabditis elegans, how the timing of Lin28a expression affects the rate and/or duration of developmental events during mammalian development remains to be addressed. Results: In this study, we discovered that the timing and the duration of Lin28a expression affect embryonic growth. During the neurulation stage of mouse development, endogenous Lin28a levels start to drop. When Lin28a expression was maintained transiently using the inducible tetracycline-regulated gene expression (Tet-ON) system [doxycycline (Dox)-inducible Lin28a transgenic (iLin28a Tg) mice] with Dox administration at E8.5 and E9.5, it resulted in neonatal lethality, increased body weight (organomegaly), and an increased number of caudal vertebrae at birth. On the other hand, Lin28a induction only at E8.5 caused neonatal lethality and organomegaly, but did not affect the caudal vertebra number. Of note, although Dox treatment before or after neurulation still caused neonatal lethality, it neither caused organomegaly nor the increased caudal vertebra number in iLin28a Tg neonates. Conclusions: Temporal regulation of Lin28a expression during neurulation affects developmental events such as cessation of axial elongation and embryonic growth in mice.