Single-molecule imaging of transcription dynamics, RNA localization and fate in human T cells.

ABSTRACT: T cells are critical effector cells counteracting infections and malignancies. To achieve this, they produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IFN-γ and TNF. Cytokine production is a tightly regulated process, but the relative contribution of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation to mRNA expression remains unknown. We optimized single-molecule FISH for primary human T cells (T-cell smFISH) to simultaneously quantify nascent RNA, levels of mature mRNA, and its localization with single-cell resolution. T-cell smFISH uncovered heterogeneous cytokine mRNA levels, with high cytokine producers displaying biallelic IFNG/TNF RNA transcription activity. Throughout activation, nuclear cytokine mRNAs accumulated, whereas cytoplasmic cytokine mRNA was degraded through translation-dep

SUBMITTER: Lattanzio MV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12624010 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature