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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Using Caenorhabditis elegans to Screen for Tissue-Specific Chaperone Interactions

Using Caenorhabditis elegans to Screen for Tissue-Specific Chaperone Interactions

Published on: June 7, 2020

Selection, gene interaction, and flexible gene networks.

R J Greenspan¹

¹The Neurosciences Institute, San Diego, California 92121 and The Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0526, USA. greenspan@nsi.edu

Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology

|November 12, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

New research reveals that a broad spectrum of genes, beyond classical "core genes," influence organism traits. Gene networks exhibit remarkable flexibility, enabling gradual evolutionary changes that pave the way for major evolutionary leaps.

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Area of Science:

Genetics
Evolutionary Biology
Developmental Biology

Background:

Classical mutant screens identified a limited set of
core genes
affecting phenotype.
Previous understanding underestimated the genetic basis of phenotypic variation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the full range of genes influencing phenotype.
To explore the dynamic nature of gene networks and their role in evolution.

Main Methods:

Laboratory selection experiments
Gene interaction studies
Behavioral assays

Main Results:

A wider array of genes than previously known significantly impacts phenotype.
Mild variants of pleiotropic genes can lead to specific phenotypes when combined.
Gene networks demonstrate high flexibility and malleability, readily reconfiguring in response to genetic variation.

Conclusions:

Phenotypic evolution is driven by a more extensive set of genes than previously recognized.
The plasticity of gene networks provides a mechanism for microevolutionary adaptation.
This adaptability is crucial for accommodating large-effect mutations, facilitating the transition from microevolution to macroevolution.