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Hsp90 as a capacitor of phenotypic variation
Christine Queitsch1, Todd A Sangster, Susan Lindquist
1Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Nature
|June 7, 2002
Summary
Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) in plants releases hidden genetic variation, influencing development and evolution. Manipulating Hsp90 offers insights into genotype, environment, and developmental interactions.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a crucial chaperone for regulatory proteins, known to buffer genetic variation in fruitflies.
- Significant differences exist in genetic variation patterns between outbreeding fruitflies and self-fertilizing plants like Arabidopsis thaliana.
- Plant development exhibits higher plasticity, responding dynamically to environmental cues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Hsp90 in buffering and releasing genetic variation in Arabidopsis.
- To explore how Hsp90 influences plant development and responses to environmental factors.
- To assess the potential evolutionary impact of Hsp90's buffering capacity.
Main Methods:
- Experimentation with Arabidopsis accessions and recombinant inbred lines.
- Reduction of Hsp90 function to observe phenotypic effects.
- Analysis of morphological phenotypes and their dependence on genetic variation.
Main Results:
- Reduced Hsp90 function in Arabidopsis led to diverse morphological phenotypes, contingent on underlying genetic variation.
- Hsp90 was found to influence morphogenetic responses to environmental cues.
- Hsp90 buffers normal development against destabilizing stochastic processes.
Conclusions:
- Hsp90 plays a significant role in modulating the expression of genetic variation in plants, impacting morphology.
- Hsp90's influence on buffering and releasing genetic variation suggests a role in evolutionary processes.
- Hsp90 manipulation provides a method to study genotype-environment interactions and harness cryptic genetic variation.
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