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Understanding 'Non-genetic' Inheritance: Insights from Molecular-Evolutionary Crosstalk.
Irene Adrian-Kalchhauser1, Sonia E Sultan2, Lisa N S Shama3
1Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, Department for Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggassstrasse 122, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|October 10, 2020
Summary
Non-genetic inheritance (NGI) systems are complex and intertwined with DNA sequence, varying across species. Future research should adopt an inherited gene regulation (IGR) approach for a unified understanding.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Non-genetic inheritance (NGI) encompasses mechanisms beyond DNA sequence.
- Epigenetic mechanisms are diverse and complex, posing challenges to understanding NGI's roles.
- Existing research often treats NGI separately from genetic inheritance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify general features of non-genetic inheritance systems.
- To propose a unifying framework for studying NGI.
- To guide future empirical and theoretical research in NGI.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized insights from molecular and evolutionary biology.
- Analyzed the characteristics of epigenetic mechanisms.
- Proposed the inherited gene regulation (IGR) approach.
Main Results:
- Identified three key features of NGI systems: functional interdependence with DNA, phylogenetic/operational variability, and probabilistic regulatory roles.
- Epigenetic elements are interactive regulators, not deterministic 'epialleles'.
- NGI is functionally integrated with DNA sequence, not separate.
Conclusions:
- NGI systems are complex, dynamic, and integrated with genetic inheritance.
- The proposed inherited gene regulation (IGR) approach offers a unified perspective.
- Future research should focus on the probabilistic and interactive nature of epigenetic regulation.
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