Microenvironmental Gene Expression Plasticity Among Individual Drosophila melanogaster

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Molecular Biology
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Phenotypic variation exists even in genetically identical individuals under identical environments.
• This variability, termed microenvironmental plasticity, has poorly understood causes.
• Potential causes include stochastic variance, technical error, or genetic components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gene expression robustness and variability in individual Drosophila melanogaster.
• To determine the influence of genotype and microenvironment on transcriptional variation.
• To explore genetic sources of variability in gene expression.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed transcriptomes of 730 individual Drosophila melanogaster from 16 fixed genotypes.
• Controlled environmental factors including food, light cycles, humidity, temperature, and social exposure.
• Included nine genotypes infected with Wolbachia and standardized RNA extraction timing.

Main Results:

• Thousands of genes showed differential expression, creating unique transcriptional signatures for each fly.
• 23% of the transcriptome exhibited differential expression among individuals.
• Variability in gene expression was influenced by genotype and originated from specific gene pathways.

Conclusions:

• Genotype plays a significant role in individual gene expression variability.
• Both plastic responses to the microenvironment and stochastic fluctuations contribute to transcriptional differences.
• These findings highlight unappreciated genetic sources of variability with implications for complex trait genetics and precision medicine.