The elongation of Mest transcript into MestXL sustains, but does not initiate, the maternal allele bias of its convergent gene Copg2 during neurogenesis

Abstract

Precise gene dosage control is critical for establishing cellular identity and development, especially for imprinted genes, where dosage imbalances are linked to severe pathologies such as neurodevelopmental disorders. The Mest/Copg2 imprinted locus is a paradigm for this fine-tuned regulation. While Mest is constitutively expressed from the paternal allele, Copg2 expression shifts from biallelic to a maternal allele bias specifically during neural differentiation, a transition proposed to involve transcriptional interference mediated by the long Mest isoform, MestXL, which extends into the Copg2 locus. However, the mechanisms underlying this allelic switch, and whether factors beyond MestXL contribute, are elusive. To address this, we employed a stem cell-based brain organoid model, integrating multi-omic analyses, 3D chromatin structure mapping, and functional approaches to dissect the regulatory events governing the induction and maintenance of Copg2 maternal allele bias throughout neural lineage specification. Our findings challenge the prevailing model by demonstrating that the maternal allele bias of Copg2 during neural differentiation is not solely driven by MestXL-mediated transcriptional interference. Instead, our data support a temporal and neural stage-specific two-step mechanism: putative enhancer-driven activation of the maternal allele in neural progenitor cells is followed by MestXL-dependent repression of the paternal allele in neuron-enriched stages. This uncovers an unexpected layer of complexity in the regulation of imprinted gene dosage during brain development, with profound implications for understanding the molecular underpinnings of neurodevelopmental disorders.