RNA-seq of tost-1(xf196 ts) mutant and wild-type embryos at 15°C and 25°C

This study investigates the role of TOST-1 and the PETISCO complex in regulating histone mRNA stability during Caenorhabditis elegans oogenesis and early embryogenesis. We performed RNA-sequencing analysis on early embryos from tost-1(xf196 ts) temperature-sensitive mutants compared to wild-type controls to understand the molecular basis of TOST-1's essential role in embryonic development and its effects on gene expression timing during the maternal-to-zygotic transition. We examined how temperature affects gene expression, since the developmental phenotype is temperature-dependent: at the permissive temperature (15°C) embryos develop normally, while at the restrictive temperature (25°C) development arrests and embryos die, allowing us to distinguish primary TOST-1 functions from secondary effects of developmental failure.