RNA-seq mouse development. RNA-seq mouse development

The genetic code is an abstraction of how mRNA codons and tRNA anticodons molecularly interact during protein synthesis; the stability and regulation of this interaction remains largely unexplored. Here, we quantitatively characterized the expression of mRNA and tRNA genes across developing mouse tissues. Substantial fractions of both gene sets dynamically change expression from early organogenesis to adult tissues. mRNA codon pools are highly stable over development and reflect the genomic background; in contrast, changes in transcription at specific tRNA genes are coordinated across anticodon families to produce a stable isoacceptor output. During development, the pools of mRNA codons and tRNA anticodons are invariant and highly correlated, revealing a stable molecular interaction interlocking transcription and translation.