Single-cell profiling identifies LIN28A mRNA targets in the mouse pluripotent-to-2C-like transition and somatic cell reprogramming

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate totipotency, pluripotency maintenance, and induction. The intricacies of how they modulate these processes through their interaction with RNAs remain to be elucidated. Here we employed Targets of RBPs Identified By Editing (TRIBE) with single-cell resolution (scTRIBE) to profile the mRNA targets of the key pluripotency regulator LIN28A in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), 2-cell embryo-like cells (2CLCs), and somatic cell reprogramming. LIN28A is known to act by controlling the maturation of the let-7 microRNA, but, in addition, it binds to multiple mRNAs and influences their stability and translation efficiency. However, the mRNA targets of LIN28A in 2CLCs and reprogramming are unclear. Through quantitative single-cell analysis of the scTRIBE dataset, we observed a marked increase in the binding of LIN28A to mRNAs of ribosome biogenesis factors and a selected group of totipotency factors in 2CLCs within ESC cultures. Our results suggest that LIN28A extends the half-life of at least some of these mRNAs, providing new insights into its role in the totipotent state. We also uncovered the distinct trajectory-specific LIN28A-mRNA networks in reprogramming, helping explain how LIN28A facilitates the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition and pluripotency acquisition. Our study not only clarifies the multifunctional role of LIN28A in these processes but also highlights the importance of decoding RNA-protein interactions at the single-cell level.