Extensive intraspecies cryptic variation in an ancient embryonic gene regulatory network
Yamila N Torres Cleuren1,2,3, Chee Kiang Ewe1,2, Kyle C Chipman1,2
1Department of MCD Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States.
Elife
|August 16, 2019
Summary
Cryptic variation exists in gene regulatory networks (GRNs) controlling C. elegans endoderm development. This plasticity in key inputs like SKN-1/Nrf2 and MOM-2/Wnt allows for evolutionary adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Genetics
- Gene Regulatory Networks
Background:
- Metazoan development relies on gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that evolve over time.
- The C. elegans endoderm GRN is a model for studying developmental plasticity.
- SKN-1/Nrf2 and MOM-2/Wnt are crucial regulatory inputs for endoderm formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cryptic variation in the requirement for SKN-1/Nrf2 and MOM-2/Wnt in the C. elegans endoderm GRN.
- To identify genetic factors contributing to this phenotypic variation.
- To understand how these regulatory inputs interact and influence endoderm development.
Main Methods:
- Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) in natural isolates of C. elegans.
- Analysis of recombinant inbred lines.
- Phenotypic analysis of endoderm differentiation under varying regulatory input conditions.
Main Results:
- Widespread cryptic variation was found in the requirement for SKN-1/Nrf2 and MOM-2/Wnt.
- Natural isolates exhibit diverse dependencies on these two regulators for endoderm development.
- Multiple genetic regions were identified as contributing to this variation.
- A reciprocal relationship was observed: high SKN-1 requirement correlated with low MOM-2/Wnt requirement, and vice versa.
Conclusions:
- The endoderm GRN exhibits significant cryptic variation in its initiating regulatory inputs, even within a single species.
- This plasticity in regulatory requirements suggests a mechanism for evolutionary adaptation.
- While downstream components are conserved, upstream regulatory inputs are remarkably flexible.
Related Concept Videos
02:02Cis-regulatory Sequences
11.6K
Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
11.6K
01:14What is Variation?
17.6K
Apart from the measures of central tendency, distribution, outliers, and the changing characteristics of data with time, an important characteristic of any data set is its variation or spread. In some data sets, the data values are concentrated closely near the mean; in others, the data values are more widely spread out from the mean.
The range, standard deviation, standard error, and variance are the different measures of variation.
Range: The range is the difference between its maximum and...
The range, standard deviation, standard error, and variance are the different measures of variation.
Range: The range is the difference between its maximum and...
17.6K
01:19Variation
7.7K
An important characteristic of any set of data is the variation in the data. In some data sets, the data values are concentrated closely near the mean; in other data sets, the data values are more widely spread out from the mean. The most common measure of variation, or spread, is the standard deviation, which is the square root of variance.
When independent and dependent variables are plotted on a scatter plot, the slope of a line is a value that describes the rate of change between the two...
When independent and dependent variables are plotted on a scatter plot, the slope of a line is a value that describes the rate of change between the two...
7.7K
02:26Protein Networks
4.5K
An organism can have thousands of different proteins, and these proteins must cooperate to ensure the health of an organism. Proteins bind to other proteins and form complexes to carry out their functions. Many proteins interact with multiple other proteins creating a complex network of protein interactions.
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
These interactions can be represented through maps depicting protein-protein interaction networks, represented as nodes and edges. Nodes are circles that are representative of a protein,...
4.5K
02:53Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
6.7K
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
6.7K
01:18Variation of Atmospheric Pressure
4.1K
Change in atmospheric pressure with height is particularly interesting. The decrease in atmospheric pressure with increasing altitude is due to the decreasing gravitational force per unit area as we move away from the surface of the earth.
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
4.1K