Tissue-specific regulation of alternative polyadenylation represses expression of a neuronal ankyrin isoform in C. elegans epidermal development

Differential mRNA polyadenylation plays an important role in shaping the neuronal transcriptome. In C. elegans , several ankyrin isoforms are produced from the unc-44 locus through alternative polyadenylation. Here, we identify a key role for an intronic polyadenylation site (PAS) in temporal- and tissue-specific regulation of UNC-44/ankyrin isoforms. Removing an intronic PAS results in ectopic expression of the neuronal ankyrin isoform in non-neural tissues. This mis-expression underlies epidermal developmental defects in mutants of the conserved tumor suppressor death-associated protein kinase dapk-1 We have previously reported that the use of this intronic PAS depends on the nuclear polyadenylation factor SYDN-1, which inhibits the RNA polymerase II CTD phosphatase SSUP-72. Consistent with this, loss of sydn-1 blocks ectopic expression of neuronal ankyrin and suppresses epidermal morphology defects of dapk-1 These effects of sydn-1 are mediated by ssup-72 autonomously in the epidermis. We also show that a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase PINN-1 antagonizes SYDN-1 in the spatiotemporal control of neuronal ankyrin isoform. Moreover, the nuclear localization of PINN-1 is altered in dapk-1 mutants. Our data reveal that tissue and stage-specific expression of ankyrin isoforms relies on differential activity of positive and negative regulators of alternative polyadenylation.