{
  "abstract": "Proper transmission of cell identity between generations requires maternal epigenetic reprogramming mechanisms that prevent inappropriate inheritance of lineage-specific transcriptional programs. In Caenorhabditis elegans, loss of the H3K4me1/2 demethylase SPR-5 and the H3K9 methyltransferase MET-2 results in ectopic expression of germline genes in somatic tissues and severe developmental delay. Previous studies demonstrated that the chromatin regulator MES-4 contributes to these defects, but whether germline-specific transcription factors also participate in the ectopic transcriptional program remained unclear. Here, we investigated the role of the germline transcription factor LSL-1 in animals lacking SPR-5 and MET-2. We found that genes normally regulated by LSL-1 in the germline are significantly overrepresented among genes ectopically expressed in the soma of spr-5; met-2 progeny. Consistent with this observation, an endogenously tagged LSL-1 protein became ectopically expressed throughout somatic tissues when maternal SPR-5 and MET-2 activity was disrupted. Furthermore, depletion of LSL-1 partially suppressed the developmental delay observed in spr-5; met-2 mutants. Transcriptomic analyses revealed extensive overlap between MES-4- and LSL-1-dependent transcriptional programs, with most LSL-1-dependent genes also requiring MES-4. Notably, ectopic expression of lsl-1 itself depended on MES-4, suggesting that LSL-1 functions downstream of MES-4. Genes dependent on LSL-1 were strongly enriched for germline-associated expression programs and included previously identified direct LSL-1 targets. Together, our findings support a model in which MES-4 promotes ectopic expression of LSL-1, which in turn contributes to a shared germline-associated transcriptional program and developmental delay following failed maternal epigenetic reprogramming. These results demonstrate how lineage-restricted transcription factors cooperate with inherited chromatin states to reinforce aberrant transcriptional programs and disrupt cell fate boundaries.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Kennesaw State University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Z. Massenburg"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. M. T. Nguyen"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Labus"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. H. Johnson"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. D. Blancher"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Jones"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "B. S. Carpenter"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f2bnt3q7fscmv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.08.28.747910",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747910v1.full",
  "id": "f2bnt3q7fscmv",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747910v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "developmental biology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Epigenetics and DNA Methylation"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7208773353",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747910v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-08-28",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f2bnt3q7fscmv.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:14Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.08.28.747910",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747910v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:developmental biology",
      "subfield": "developmental-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Ectopic expression of the germline transcription factor LSL-1 contributes to developmental delay following failed maternal epigenetic reprogramming",
  "title_text": "Ectopic expression of the germline transcription factor LSL-1 contributes to developmental delay following failed maternal epigenetic reprogramming",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:14Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f2bnt3q7fscmv",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}