Multiple Plasticity Regulators Reveal Targets Specifying an Induced Predatory Form in Nematodes

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Developmental biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Phenotype development is influenced by genetic and environmental factors.
• Developmental plasticity enables a single genome to produce multiple phenotypes.
• Understanding the genetic regulation of plasticity is key to studying its evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify transcriptional responses specific to polyphenism in Pristionchus pacificus.
• To investigate how genetic regulators control downstream gene expression in plastic phenotypes.
• To explore the evolutionary targets and fates of plasticity.

Main Methods:

• Transcriptional profiling of polyphenism-controlling genes in P. pacificus.
• In vitro binding assays to assess nuclear receptor interactions.
• Analysis of differential gene expression and candidate gene variation.

Main Results:

• A specific transcriptional response associated with polyphenism in P. pacificus was identified.
• The nuclear receptor NHR-40 was shown to bind to HNF4α motifs, suggesting direct gene regulation.
• Environmentally sensitive loci and morph-limited genes were highlighted as targets of plasticity.
• Predatory morph-biased genes, including Hsp70 homologs, showed natural expression variation correlating with phenotypic differences.

Conclusions:

• The study links polyphenism regulatory loci to the transcription of alternative morphs.
• Findings provide a framework for understanding how regulators of morph-biased genes impact selection on plastic phenotypes.
• This research advances the study of genetic mechanisms underlying developmental plasticity and its evolutionary implications.