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ESRP2-microRNA-122 axis directs the postnatal onset of liver polyploidization and maturation

Bangru, S.; Chen, J.; Baker, N. J.; Das, D.; Chembazhi, U. V.; Derham, J. M.; Chorghade, S. G.; Arif, W.; Alencastro, F.; Duncan, A. W.; Carstens, R. P.; Kalsotra, A.

2024-07-09 developmental biology
10.1101/2024.07.06.602336 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Hepatocyte polyploidy and maturity are critical to acquiring specialized liver functions. Multiple intra- and extracellular factors influence ploidy, but how they cooperate temporally to steer liver polyploidization and maturation or how post-transcriptional mechanisms integrate into these paradigms is unknown. Here, we identified an important regulatory hierarchy in which postnatal activation of Epithelial-Splicing-Regulatory-Protein-2 (ESRP2) stimulates biogenesis of liver-specific microRNA (miR-122), thereby facilitating polyploidization, maturation, and functional competence of hepatocytes. By determining transcriptome-wide protein-RNA interactions in vivo and integrating them with single-cell and bulk hepatocyte RNA-seq datasets, we delineate an ESRP2-driven RNA processing program that drives sequential replacement of fetal-to-adult transcript isoforms. Specifically, ESRP2 binds the primary miR-122 host gene transcript to promote its processing/biogenesis. Combining constitutive and inducible ESRP2 gain- and loss-of-function mice models with miR-122 rescue experiments, we demonstrate that timed activation of ESRP2 augments miR-122-driven program of cytokinesis failure, ensuring proper onset and extent of hepatocyte polyploidization.

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