1
|
Gurguis CI, Kimm TS, Pigott TA. Perspective: the evolution of hormones and person perception-a quantitative genetic framework. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1395974. [PMID: 38952835 PMCID: PMC11215136 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1395974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary biology provides a unifying theory for testing hypotheses about the relationship between hormones and person perception. Person perception usually receives attention from the perspective of sexual selection. However, because person perception is one trait in a suite regulated by hormones, univariate approaches are insufficient. In this Perspectives article, quantitative genetics is presented as an important but underutilized framework for testing evolutionary hypotheses within this literature. We note tacit assumptions within the current literature on psychiatric genetics, which imperil the interpretation of findings thus far. As regulators of a diverse manifold of traits, hormones mediate tradeoffs among an array of functions. Hormonal pleiotropy also provides the basis of correlational selection, a process whereby selection on one trait in a hormone-mediated suite generates selection on the others. This architecture provides the basis for conflicts between sexual and natural selection within hormone-mediated suites. Due to its role in person perception, psychiatric disorders, and reproductive physiology, the sex hormone estrogen is highlighted as an exemplar here. The implications of this framework for the evolution of person perception are discussed. Empirical quantification of selection on traits within hormone-mediated suites remains an important gap in this literature with great potential to illuminate the fundamental nature of psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I. Gurguis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX, United States
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gupta S, Groen SC, Zaidem ML, Sajise AGC, Calic I, Natividad MA, McNally KL, Vergara GV, Satija R, Franks SJ, Singh RK, Joly-Lopez Z, Purugganan MD. Systems genomics of salinity stress response in rice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.31.596807. [PMID: 38895411 PMCID: PMC11185513 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.31.596807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Populations can adapt to stressful environments through changes in gene expression. However, the role of gene regulation in mediating stress response and adaptation remains largely unexplored. Here, we use an integrative field dataset obtained from 780 plants of Oryza sativa ssp. indica (rice) grown in a field experiment under normal or moderate salt stress conditions to examine selection and evolution of gene expression variation under salinity stress conditions. We find that salinity stress induces increased selective pressure on gene expression. Further, we show that trans-eQTLs rather than cis-eQTLs are primarily associated with rice's gene expression under salinity stress, potentially via a few master-regulators. Importantly, and contrary to the expectations, we find that cis-trans reinforcement is more common than cis-trans compensation which may be reflective of rice diversification subsequent to domestication. We further identify genetic fixation as the likely mechanism underlying this compensation/reinforcement. Additionally, we show that cis- and trans-eQTLs are under different selection regimes, giving us insights into the evolutionary dynamics of gene expression variation. By examining genomic, transcriptomic, and phenotypic variation across a rice population, we gain insights into the molecular and genetic landscape underlying adaptive salinity stress responses, which is relevant for other crops and other stresses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonal Gupta
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY USA
| | - Simon C Groen
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY USA
- Department of Nematology and Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA USA
- Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA USA
| | - Maricris L. Zaidem
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY USA
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
| | | | - Irina Calic
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, NY USA
- Inari Agriculture Nv, Gent, Belgium
| | | | | | - Georgina V. Vergara
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines
- Institute of Crop Science, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Philippines
| | - Rahul Satija
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY USA
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY USA
| | - Steven J. Franks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, NY USA
| | - Rakesh K. Singh
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines
- International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, Dubai, UAE (current affiliation)
| | - Zoé Joly-Lopez
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY USA
- Département de Chimie, Université du Quebéc à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ertl HA, Bayala EX, Siddiq MA, Wittkopp PJ. Divergence of Grainy head affects chromatin accessibility, gene expression, and embryonic viability in Drosophila melanogaster. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.07.588430. [PMID: 38645200 PMCID: PMC11030446 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.07.588430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Pioneer factors are critical for gene regulation and development because they bind chromatin and make DNA more accessible for binding by other transcription factors. The pioneer factor Grainy head (Grh) is present across metazoans and has been shown to retain a role in epithelium development in fruit flies, nematodes, and mice despite extensive divergence in both amino acid sequence and length. Here, we investigate the evolution of Grh function by comparing the effects of the fly ( Drosophila melanogaster ) and worm ( Caenorhabditis elegans ) Grh orthologs on chromatin accessibility, gene expression, embryonic development, and viability in transgenic D. melanogaster . We found that the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog rescued cuticle development but not full embryonic viability in Drosophila melanogaster grh null mutants. At the molecular level, the C. elegans ortholog only partially rescued chromatin accessibility and gene expression. Divergence in the disordered N-terminus of the Grh protein contributes to these differences in embryonic viability and molecular phenotypes. These data show how pioneer factors can diverge in sequence and function at the molecular level while retaining conserved developmental functions at the organismal level. SUMMARY STATEMENT Despite divergence in a disordered region that affects function at both molecular and organismal levels, the Caenorhabditis elegans Grainy head (Grh) protein rescued cuticle morphology in D. melanogaster embryos.
Collapse
|
4
|
Pereira AG, Kohlsdorf T. Repeated evolution of similar phenotypes: Integrating comparative methods with developmental pathways. Genet Mol Biol 2023; 46:e20220384. [PMID: 37486083 PMCID: PMC10364090 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2022-0384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Repeated phenotypes, often referred to as 'homoplasies' in cladistic analyses, may evolve through changes in developmental processes. Genetic bases of recurrent evolution gained attention and have been studied in the past years using approaches that combine modern analytical phylogenetic tools with the stunning assemblage of new information on developmental mechanisms. In this review, we evaluated the topic under an integrated perspective, revisiting the classical definitions of convergence and parallelism and detailing comparative methods used to evaluate evolution of repeated phenotypes, which include phylogenetic inference, estimates of evolutionary rates and reconstruction of ancestral states. We provide examples to illustrate how a given methodological approach can be used to identify evolutionary patterns and evaluate developmental mechanisms associated with the intermittent expression of a given trait along the phylogeny. Finally, we address why repeated trait loss challenges strict definitions of convergence and parallelism, discussing how changes in developmental pathways might explain the high frequency of repeated trait loss in specific lineages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anieli Guirro Pereira
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Departamento de Biologia, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Tiana Kohlsdorf
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Departamento de Biologia, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hsu P, Cheng Y, Liao C, Litan RRR, Jhou Y, Opoc FJG, Amine AAA, Leu J. Rapid evolutionary repair by secondary perturbation of a primary disrupted transcriptional network. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e56019. [PMID: 37009824 PMCID: PMC10240213 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202256019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The discrete steps of transcriptional rewiring have been proposed to occur neutrally to ensure steady gene expression under stabilizing selection. A conflict-free switch of a regulon between regulators may require an immediate compensatory evolution to minimize deleterious effects. Here, we perform an evolutionary repair experiment on the Lachancea kluyveri yeast sef1Δ mutant using a suppressor development strategy. Complete loss of SEF1 forces cells to initiate a compensatory process for the pleiotropic defects arising from misexpression of TCA cycle genes. Using different selective conditions, we identify two adaptive loss-of-function mutations of IRA1 and AZF1. Subsequent analyses show that Azf1 is a weak transcriptional activator regulated by the Ras1-PKA pathway. Azf1 loss-of-function triggers extensive gene expression changes responsible for compensatory, beneficial, and trade-off phenotypes. The trade-offs can be alleviated by higher cell density. Our results not only indicate that secondary transcriptional perturbation provides rapid and adaptive mechanisms potentially stabilizing the initial stage of transcriptional rewiring but also suggest how genetic polymorphisms of pleiotropic mutations could be maintained in the population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Po‐Chen Hsu
- Institute of Molecular BiologyAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Yu‐Hsuan Cheng
- Institute of Molecular BiologyAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
- Present address:
Morgridge Institute for ResearchMadisonWIUSA
- Present address:
Howard Hughes Medical InstituteUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWIUSA
| | - Chia‐Wei Liao
- Institute of Molecular BiologyAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
| | | | - Yu‐Ting Jhou
- Institute of Molecular BiologyAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
| | | | | | - Jun‐Yi Leu
- Institute of Molecular BiologyAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hung PH, Liao CW, Ko FH, Tsai HK, Leu JY. Differential Hsp90-dependent gene expression is strain-specific and common among yeast strains. iScience 2023; 26:106635. [PMID: 37138775 PMCID: PMC10149407 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhanced phenotypic diversity increases a population's likelihood of surviving catastrophic conditions. Hsp90, an essential molecular chaperone and a central network hub in eukaryotes, has been observed to suppress or enhance the effects of genetic variation on phenotypic diversity in response to environmental cues. Because many Hsp90-interacting genes are involved in signaling transduction pathways and transcriptional regulation, we tested how common Hsp90-dependent differential gene expression is in natural populations. Many genes exhibited Hsp90-dependent strain-specific differential expression in five diverse yeast strains. We further identified transcription factors (TFs) potentially contributing to variable expression. We found that on Hsp90 inhibition or environmental stress, activities or abundances of Hsp90-dependent TFs varied among strains, resulting in differential strain-specific expression of their target genes, which consequently led to phenotypic diversity. We provide evidence that individual strains can readily display specific Hsp90-dependent gene expression, suggesting that the evolutionary impacts of Hsp90 are widespread in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Po-Hsiang Hung
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Wei Liao
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Hsuan Ko
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Huai-Kuang Tsai
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Corresponding author
| | - Jun-Yi Leu
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Corresponding author
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bilyk KT, Zhuang X, Papetti C. Positive and Relaxed Selective Pressures Have Both Strongly Influenced the Evolution of Cryonotothenioid Fishes during Their Radiation in the Freezing Southern Ocean. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad049. [PMID: 36951069 PMCID: PMC10078794 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolution in the chronic cold of the Southern Ocean has had a profound influence on the physiology of cryonotothenioid fishes. However, the suite of genetic changes underlying the physiological gains and losses in these fishes is still poorly surveyed. By identifying the genomic signatures of selection, this study aims to identify the functional classes of genes that have been changed following two major physiological transitions: the onset of freezing temperatures and the loss of hemoproteins. Looking at the changes that followed the onset of freezing temperatures, positive selective pressure was found among a set of broadly acting gene regulatory factors, suggesting a route through which cryonotothenioid gene expression has been retooled for life in the cold. Further, genes related to the cell cycle and cellular adhesion were found under positive selection suggesting that both present key challenges to life in freezing waters. By contrast, genes showing signatures of the relaxation of selective pressure showed a narrower biological impact, acting on genes related to mitochondrial function. Finally, although chronic cold-water temperatures appear correlated with substantial genetic change, the loss of hemoproteins resulted in little observable change in protein-coding genes relative to their red-blooded relatives. Combined, the influence of positive and relaxed selection shows that long-term exposure to cold has led to profound changes in cryonotothenioid genomes that may make it challenging for them to adapt to a rapidly changing climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T Bilyk
- Department of Biology, Montclair State University, New Jersey
| | - Xuan Zhuang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Li S, Wang Z, Gao M, Li T, Cui X, Zu J, Sang S, Fan W, Zhang H. Intraspecific Comparative Analysis Reveals Genomic Variation of Didymella arachidicola and Pathogenicity Factors Potentially Related to Lesion Phenotype. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12030476. [PMID: 36979167 PMCID: PMC10045276 DOI: 10.3390/biology12030476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Didymella arachidicola is one of the most important fungal pathogens, causing foliar disease and leading to severe yield losses of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) in China. Two main lesion phenotypes of peanut web blotch have been identified as reticulation type (R type) and blotch type (B type). As no satisfactory reference genome is available, the genomic variations and pathogenicity factors of D. arachidicola remain to be revealed. In the present study, we collected 41 D. arachidicola isolates from 26 geographic locations across China (33 for R type and 8 for B type). The chromosome-scale genome of the most virulent isolate (YY187) was assembled as a reference using PacBio and Hi-C technologies. In addition, we re-sequenced 40 isolates from different sampling sites. Genome-wide alignments showed high similarity among the genomic sequences from the 40 isolates, with an average mapping rate of 97.38%. An average of 3242 SNPs and 315 InDels were identified in the genomic variation analysis, which revealed an intraspecific polymorphism in D. arachidicola. The comparative analysis of the most and least virulent isolates generated an integrated gene set containing 512 differential genes. Moreover, 225 genes individually or simultaneously harbored hits in CAZy-base, PHI-base, DFVF, etc. Compared with the R type reference, the differential gene sets from all B type isolates identified 13 shared genes potentially related to lesion phenotype. Our results reveal the intraspecific genomic variation of D. arachidicola isolates and pathogenicity factors potentially related to different lesion phenotypes. This work sets a genomic foundation for understanding the mechanisms behind genomic diversity driving different pathogenic phenotypes of D. arachidicola.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaojian Li
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Meng Gao
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Tong Li
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Xiaowei Cui
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Junhuai Zu
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Suling Sang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Wanwan Fan
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, International Joint Research Laboratory for Crop Protection of Henan, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Analysis of the leaf metabolome in Arabidopsis thaliana mutation accumulation lines reveals association of metabolic disruption and fitness consequence. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10210-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
|
10
|
Pereira AG, Grizante MB, Kohlsdorf T. What snakes and caecilians have in common? Molecular interaction units and the independent origins of similar morphotypes in Tetrapoda. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220841. [PMID: 35975445 PMCID: PMC9382212 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental pathways encompass transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements that interact as transcription factor-regulatory element (TF-RE) units. Independent origins of similar phenotypes likely involve changes in different parts of these units, a hypothesis promisingly tested addressing the evolution of the rib-associated lumbar (RAL) morphotype that characterizes emblematic animals such as snakes and elephants. Previous investigation in these lineages identified a polymorphism in the Homology region 1 [H1] enhancer of the Myogenic factor-5 [Myf5], which interacts with HOX10 proteins to modulate rib development. Here we address the evolution of TF-RE units focusing on independent origins of RAL morphotypes. We compiled an extensive database for H1-Myf5 and HOX10 sequences with two goals: (i) evaluate if the enhancer polymorphism is present in amphibians exhibiting the RAL morphotype and (ii) test a hypothesis of enhanced evolutionary flexibility mediated by TF-RE units, according to which independent origins of the RAL morphotype might involve changes in either component of the interaction unit. We identified the H1-Myf5 polymorphism in lineages that diverged around 340 Ma, including Lissamphibia. Independent origins of the RAL morphotype in Tetrapoda involved sequence variation in either component of the TF-RE unit, confirming that different changes may similarly affect the phenotypic outcome of a given developmental pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anieli G. Pereira
- Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mariana B. Grizante
- Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
- Dante Pazzanese Institute of Cardiology, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tiana Kohlsdorf
- Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Huang Y, Shang R, Lu GA, Zeng W, Huang C, Zou C, Tang T. Spatiotemporal Regulation of a Single Adaptively Evolving Trans-Regulatory Element Contributes to Spermatogenetic Expression Divergence in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6605656. [PMID: 35687719 PMCID: PMC9254010 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to extensive pleiotropy, trans-acting elements are often thought to be evolutionarily constrained. While the impact of trans-acting elements on gene expression evolution has been extensively studied, relatively little is understood about the contribution of a single trans regulator to interspecific expression and phenotypic divergence. Here, we disentangle the effects of genomic context and miR-983, an adaptively evolving young microRNA, on expression divergence between Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans. We show miR-983 effects promote interspecific expression divergence in testis despite its antagonism with the often-predominant context effects. Single-cyst RNA-seq reveals that distinct sets of genes gain and lose miR-983 influence under disruptive or diversifying selection at different stages of spermatogenesis, potentially helping minimize antagonistic pleiotropy. At the round spermatid stage, the effects of miR-983 are weak and distributed, coincident with the transcriptome undergoing drastic expression changes. Knocking out miR-983 causes reduced sperm length with increased within-individual variation in D. melanogaster but not in D. simulans, and the D. melanogaster knockout also exhibits compromised sperm defense ability. Our results provide empirical evidence for the resolution of antagonistic pleiotropy and also have broad implications for the function and evolution of new trans regulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yumei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Rui Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Guang-An Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Weishun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Chenglong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Chuangchao Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Tian Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
A novel regulatory gene promotes novel cell fate by suppressing ancestral fate in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2113701119. [PMID: 35500123 PMCID: PMC9172639 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113701119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we demonstrate how a new cell type can arise through duplication of an ancestral cell type followed by functional divergence of the new daughter cell. Specifically, we show that stinging cells in a cnidarian (namely, a sea anemone) emerged by duplication of an ancestral neuron followed by inhibition of the RFamide neuropeptide it once secreted. This finding is evidence that stinging cells evolved from a specific subtype of neurons and suggests other neuronal subtypes may have been coopted for other novel secretory functions. Cnidocytes (i.e., stinging cells) are an unequivocally novel cell type used by cnidarians (i.e., corals, jellyfish, and their kin) to immobilize prey. Although they are known to share a common evolutionary origin with neurons, the developmental program that promoted the emergence of cnidocyte fate is not known. Using functional genomics in the sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, we show that cnidocytes develop by suppression of neural fate in a subset of neurons expressing RFamide. We further show that a single regulatory gene, a C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factor (ZNF845), coordinates both the gain of novel (cnidocyte-specific) traits and the inhibition of ancestral (neural) traits during cnidocyte development and that this gene arose by domain shuffling in the stem cnidarian. Thus, we report a mechanism by which a truly novel regulatory gene (ZNF845) promotes the development of a truly novel cell type (cnidocyte) through duplication of an ancestral cell lineage (neuron) and inhibition of its ancestral identity (RFamide).
Collapse
|
13
|
Onal P, Gunasinghe HI, Umezawa KY, Zheng M, Ling J, Azeez L, Dalmeus A, Tazin T, Small S. Suboptimal Intermediates Underlie Evolution of the Bicoid Homeodomain. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:2179-2190. [PMID: 33599280 PMCID: PMC8136501 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in regulatory networks generate materials for evolution to create phenotypic diversity. For transcription networks, multiple studies have shown that alterations in binding sites of cis-regulatory elements correlate well with the gain or loss of specific features of the body plan. Less is known about alterations in the amino acid sequences of the transcription factors (TFs) that bind these elements. Here we study the evolution of Bicoid (Bcd), a homeodomain (HD) protein that is critical for anterior embryo patterning in Drosophila. The ancestor of Bcd (AncBcd) emerged after a duplication of a Zerknullt (Zen)-like ancestral protein (AncZB) in a suborder of flies. AncBcd diverged from AncZB, gaining novel transcriptional and translational activities. We focus on the evolution of the HD of AncBcd, which binds to DNA and RNA, and is comprised of four subdomains: an N-terminal arm (NT) and three helices; H1, H2, and Recognition Helix (RH). Using chimeras of subdomains and gene rescue assays in Drosophila, we show that robust patterning activity of the Bcd HD (high frequency rescue to adulthood) is achieved only when amino acid substitutions in three separate subdomains (NT, H1, and RH) are combined. Other combinations of subdomains also yield full rescue, but with lower penetrance, suggesting alternative suboptimal activities. Our results suggest a multistep pathway for the evolution of the Bcd HD that involved intermediate HD sequences with suboptimal activities, which constrained and enabled further evolutionary changes. They also demonstrate critical epistatic forces that contribute to the robust function of a DNA-binding domain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pinar Onal
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Michael Zheng
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jia Ling
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Leen Azeez
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anecine Dalmeus
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tasmima Tazin
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stephen Small
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Buchberger E, Bilen A, Ayaz S, Salamanca D, Matas de las Heras C, Niksic A, Almudi I, Torres-Oliva M, Casares F, Posnien N. Variation in Pleiotropic Hub Gene Expression Is Associated with Interspecific Differences in Head Shape and Eye Size in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:1924-1942. [PMID: 33386848 PMCID: PMC8097299 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Revealing the mechanisms underlying the breathtaking morphological diversity observed in nature is a major challenge in Biology. It has been established that recurrent mutations in hotspot genes cause the repeated evolution of morphological traits, such as body pigmentation or the gain and loss of structures. To date, however, it remains elusive whether hotspot genes contribute to natural variation in the size and shape of organs. As natural variation in head morphology is pervasive in Drosophila, we studied the molecular and developmental basis of differences in compound eye size and head shape in two closely related Drosophila species. We show differences in the progression of retinal differentiation between species and we applied comparative transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility data to identify the GATA transcription factor Pannier (Pnr) as central factor associated with these differences. Although the genetic manipulation of Pnr affected multiple aspects of dorsal head development, the effect of natural variation is restricted to a subset of the phenotypic space. We present data suggesting that this developmental constraint is caused by the coevolution of expression of pnr and its cofactor u-shaped (ush). We propose that natural variation in expression or function of highly connected developmental regulators with pleiotropic functions is a major driver for morphological evolution and we discuss implications on gene regulatory network evolution. In comparison to previous findings, our data strongly suggest that evolutionary hotspots are not the only contributors to the repeated evolution of eye size and head shape in Drosophila.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Buchberger
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anıl Bilen
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sanem Ayaz
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - David Salamanca
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Present address: Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Armin Niksic
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Isabel Almudi
- CABD (CSIC/UPO/JA), DMC2 Unit, Pablo de Olavide University Campus, Seville, Spain
| | - Montserrat Torres-Oliva
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Present address: Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Fernando Casares
- CABD (CSIC/UPO/JA), DMC2 Unit, Pablo de Olavide University Campus, Seville, Spain
| | - Nico Posnien
- Department of Developmental Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Corresponding author: E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Hsu PC, Lu TC, Hung PH, Jhou YT, Amine AAA, Liao CW, Leu JY. Plastic rewiring of Sef1 transcriptional networks and the potential of non-functional transcription factor binding in facilitating adaptive evolution. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:4732-4747. [PMID: 34175931 PMCID: PMC8557406 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior and extensive plastic rewiring of a transcriptional network, followed by a functional switch of the conserved transcriptional regulator, can shape the evolution of a new network with diverged functions. The presence of three distinct iron regulatory systems in fungi that use orthologous transcriptional regulators suggests that these systems evolved in that manner. Orthologs of the transcriptional activator Sef1 are believed to be central to how iron regulatory systems developed in fungi, involving gene gain, plastic network rewiring, and switches in regulatory function. We show that, in the protoploid yeast Lachancea kluyveri, plastic rewiring of the L. kluyveri Sef1 (Lk-Sef1) network, together with a functional switch, enabled Lk-Sef1 to regulate TCA cycle genes, unlike Candida albicans Sef1 that mainly regulates iron-uptake genes. Moreover, we observed pervasive nonfunctional binding of Sef1 to its target genes. Enhancing Lk-Sef1 activity resuscitated the corresponding transcriptional network, providing immediate adaptive benefits in changing environments. Our study not only sheds light on the evolution of Sef1-centered transcriptional networks but also shows the adaptive potential of nonfunctional transcription factor binding for evolving phenotypic novelty and diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Po-Chen Hsu
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Tzu-Chiao Lu
- Research Center for Healthy Aging and Institute of New Drug Development, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.,Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Po-Hsiang Hung
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.,Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yu-Ting Jhou
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ahmed A A Amine
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.,Molecular and Cell Biology Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and Graduate Institute of Life Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chia-Wei Liao
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Jun-Yi Leu
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.,Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.,Molecular and Cell Biology Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and Graduate Institute of Life Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Jovanovic VM, Sarfert M, Reyna-Blanco CS, Indrischek H, Valdivia DI, Shelest E, Nowick K. Positive Selection in Gene Regulatory Factors Suggests Adaptive Pleiotropic Changes During Human Evolution. Front Genet 2021; 12:662239. [PMID: 34079582 PMCID: PMC8166252 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.662239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene regulatory factors (GRFs), such as transcription factors, co-factors and histone-modifying enzymes, play many important roles in modifying gene expression in biological processes. They have also been proposed to underlie speciation and adaptation. To investigate potential contributions of GRFs to primate evolution, we analyzed GRF genes in 27 publicly available primate genomes. Genes coding for zinc finger (ZNF) proteins, especially ZNFs with a Krüppel-associated box (KRAB) domain were the most abundant TFs in all genomes. Gene numbers per TF family differed between all species. To detect signs of positive selection in GRF genes we investigated more than 3,000 human GRFs with their more than 70,000 orthologs in 26 non-human primates. We implemented two independent tests for positive selection, the branch-site-model of the PAML suite and aBSREL of the HyPhy suite, focusing on the human and great ape branch. Our workflow included rigorous procedures to reduce the number of false positives: excluding distantly similar orthologs, manual corrections of alignments, and considering only genes and sites detected by both tests for positive selection. Furthermore, we verified the candidate sites for selection by investigating their variation within human and non-human great ape population data. In order to approximately assign a date to positively selected sites in the human lineage, we analyzed archaic human genomes. Our work revealed with high confidence five GRFs that have been positively selected on the human lineage and one GRF that has been positively selected on the great ape lineage. These GRFs are scattered on different chromosomes and have been previously linked to diverse functions. For some of them a role in speciation and/or adaptation can be proposed based on the expression pattern or association with human diseases, but it seems that they all contributed independently to human evolution. Four of the positively selected GRFs are KRAB-ZNF proteins, that induce changes in target genes co-expression and/or through arms race with transposable elements. Since each positively selected GRF contains several sites with evidence for positive selection, we suggest that these GRFs participated pleiotropically to phenotypic adaptations in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir M Jovanovic
- Human Biology and Primate Evolution, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Bioinformatics Solution Center, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Melanie Sarfert
- Human Biology and Primate Evolution, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carlos S Reyna-Blanco
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Henrike Indrischek
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Dulce I Valdivia
- Evolutionary Genomics Laboratory and Genome Topology and Regulation Laboratory, Genetic Engineering Department, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV-Irapuato), Irapuato, Mexico
| | - Ekaterina Shelest
- Centre for Enzyme Innovation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Katja Nowick
- Human Biology and Primate Evolution, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
A network analysis of crab metamorphosis and the hypothesis of development as a process of unfolding of an intensive complexity. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9551. [PMID: 33953251 PMCID: PMC8100167 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88662-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Development has intrigued humanity since ancient times. Today, the main paradigm in developmental biology and evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) is the genetic program, in which development is explained by the interplay and interaction of genes, that is, by the action of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). However, it is not even clear that a GRN, no matter how complex, can be translated into a form. Therefore, the fundamental enigma of development still remains: how is a complex organism formed from a single cell? This question unfolded the historical drama and the dialectical tension between preformation and epigenesis. In order to shed light on these issues, I studied the development of crabs (infraorder Brachyura), as representative of the subphylum Crustacea, using network theory. The external morphology of the different phases of brachyuran metamorphosis were modeled as networks and their main characteristics analyzed. As one could expect, the parameters usually regarded as indicative of network complexity, such as modularity and hierarchy, increased during development. However, when more sophisticated complexity measures were tested, it was evidenced that whereas a group of complexity measures increased during development, another group decreased. This led to consider that two kinds of complexities were being measured. I called them intensive and extensive complexity. In view of these results, I propose that crab development involves a passage from an intensive to an extensive complexity. In other words, crab development can be interpreted as a process of unfolding of an intensive, preexistent complexity.
Collapse
|
18
|
Tangwancharoen S, Semmens BX, Burton RS. Allele-Specific Expression and Evolution of Gene Regulation Underlying Acute Heat Stress Response and Local Adaptation in the Copepod Tigriopus californicus. J Hered 2020; 111:539-547. [PMID: 33141173 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esaa044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Geographic variation in environmental temperature can select for local adaptation among conspecific populations. Divergence in gene expression across the transcriptome is a key mechanism for evolution of local thermal adaptation in many systems, yet the genetic mechanisms underlying this regulatory evolution remain poorly understood. Here we examine gene expression in 2 locally adapted Tigriopus californicus populations (heat tolerant San Diego, SD, and less tolerant Santa Cruz, SC) and their F1 hybrids during acute heat stress response. Allele-specific expression (ASE) in F1 hybrids was used to determine cis-regulatory divergence. We found that the number of genes showing significant allelic imbalance increased under heat stress compared to unstressed controls. This suggests that there is significant population divergence in cis-regulatory elements underlying heat stress response. Specifically, the number of genes showing an excess of transcripts from the more thermal tolerant (SD) population increased with heat stress while that number of genes with an SC excess was similar in both treatments. Inheritance patterns of gene expression also revealed that genes displaying SD-dominant expression phenotypes increase in number in response to heat stress; that is, across loci, gene expression in F1's following heat stress showed more similarity to SD than SC, a pattern that was absent in the control treatment. The observed patterns of ASE and inheritance of gene expression provide insight into the complex processes underlying local adaptation and thermal stress response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sumaetee Tangwancharoen
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA.,Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
| | - Brice X Semmens
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Ronald S Burton
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Molecular and evolutionary processes generating variation in gene expression. Nat Rev Genet 2020; 22:203-215. [PMID: 33268840 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-020-00304-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Heritable variation in gene expression is common within and between species. This variation arises from mutations that alter the form or function of molecular gene regulatory networks that are then filtered by natural selection. High-throughput methods for introducing mutations and characterizing their cis- and trans-regulatory effects on gene expression (particularly, transcription) are revealing how different molecular mechanisms generate regulatory variation, and studies comparing these mutational effects with variation seen in the wild are teasing apart the role of neutral and non-neutral evolutionary processes. This integration of molecular and evolutionary biology allows us to understand how the variation in gene expression we see today came to be and to predict how it is most likely to evolve in the future.
Collapse
|
20
|
Mugal CF, Wang M, Backström N, Wheatcroft D, Ålund M, Sémon M, McFarlane SE, Dutoit L, Qvarnström A, Ellegren H. Tissue-specific patterns of regulatory changes underlying gene expression differences among Ficedula flycatchers and their naturally occurring F 1 hybrids. Genome Res 2020; 30:1727-1739. [PMID: 33144405 PMCID: PMC7706733 DOI: 10.1101/gr.254508.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Changes in interacting cis- and trans-regulatory elements are important candidates for Dobzhansky-Muller hybrid incompatibilities and may contribute to hybrid dysfunction by giving rise to misexpression in hybrids. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms and determinants of gene expression evolution in natural populations, we analyzed the transcriptome from multiple tissues of two recently diverged Ficedula flycatcher species and their naturally occurring F1 hybrids. Differential gene expression analysis revealed that the extent of differentiation between species and the set of differentially expressed genes varied across tissues. Common to all tissues, a higher proportion of Z-linked genes than autosomal genes showed differential expression, providing evidence for a fast-Z effect. We further found clear signatures of hybrid misexpression in brain, heart, kidney, and liver. However, while testis showed the highest divergence of gene expression among tissues, it showed no clear signature of misexpression in F1 hybrids, even though these hybrids were found to be sterile. It is therefore unlikely that incompatibilities between cis-trans regulatory changes explain the observed sterility. Instead, we found evidence that cis-regulatory changes play a significant role in the evolution of gene expression in testis, which illustrates the tissue-specific nature of cis-regulatory evolution bypassing constraints associated with pleiotropic effects of genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carina F Mugal
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mi Wang
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Niclas Backström
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - David Wheatcroft
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Murielle Ålund
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Marie Sémon
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.,ENS de Lyon, Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, Lyon University, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - S Eryn McFarlane
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Ludovic Dutoit
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hans Ellegren
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Zhao XW, Kishino H. Multiple Isolated Transcription Factors Act as Switches and Contribute to Species Uniqueness. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E1148. [PMID: 33003522 PMCID: PMC7600484 DOI: 10.3390/genes11101148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammals have variable numbers (1300-2000) of transcription factors (TFs), but the reasons for this large variation are unclear. To investigate general TF patterns, we de novo identified 156,906 TFs from 96 mammalian species. We identified more than 500 human isolated TFs that are rarely reported in human TF-to-TF networks. Mutations in the genes of these TFs were less lethal than those of connected TFs. Consequently, these isolated TFs are more tolerant of changes and have become unique during speciation. They may also serve as a source of variation for TF evolution. Reconciliation of TF-family phylogenetic trees with a mammalian species tree revealed an average of 37.8% TF gains and 15.0% TF losses over 177 million years, which implies that isolated TFs are pervasive in mammals. Compared with non-TF interacting genes, TF-interacting genes have unique TF profiles and have higher expression levels in mice than in humans. Different expression levels of the same TF-interacting gene contribute to species-specific phenotypes. Formation and loss of isolated TFs enabling unique TF profiles may provide variable switches that adjust divergent expression profiles of target genes to generate species-specific phenotypes, thereby making species unique.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Wei Zhao
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan;
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Evolutionary-driven C-MYC gene expression in mammalian fibroblasts. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11056. [PMID: 32632086 PMCID: PMC7338511 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67391-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent to which mammalian cells share similar transcriptomes remains unclear. Notwithstanding, such cross-species gene expression inquiries have been scarce for defined cell types and most lack the dissection of gene regulatory landscapes. Therefore, the work was aimed to determine C-MYC relative expression across mammalian fibroblasts (Ovis aries and Bos taurus) via cross-species RT-qPCR and comprehensively explore its regulatory landscape by in silico tools. The prediction of transcription factor binding sites in C-MYC and its 2.5 kb upstream sequence revealed substantial variation, thus indicating evolutionary-driven re-wiring of cis-regulatory elements. C-MYC and its downstream target TBX3 were up-regulated in Bos taurus fibroblasts. The relative expression of C-MYC regulators [RONIN (also known as THAP11), RXRβ, and TCF3] and the C-MYC-associated transcript elongation factor CDK9 did not differ between species. Additional in silico analyses suggested Bos taurus-specific C-MYC exonization, alternative splicing, and binding sites for non-coding RNAs. C-MYC protein orthologs were highly conserved, while variation was in the transactivation domain and the leucine zipper motif. Altogether, mammalian fibroblasts display evolutionary-driven C-MYC relative expression that should be instructive for understanding cellular physiology, cellular reprogramming, and C-MYC-related diseases.
Collapse
|
23
|
Wheeler LC, Smith SD. Computational Modeling of Anthocyanin Pathway Evolution: Biases, Hotspots, and Trade-offs. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 59:585-598. [PMID: 31120530 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The alteration of metabolic pathways is a common mechanism underlying the evolution of new phenotypes. Flower color is a striking example of the importance of metabolic evolution in a complex phenotype, wherein shifts in the activity of the underlying pathway lead to a wide range of pigments. Although experimental work has identified common classes of mutations responsible for transitions among colors, we lack a unifying model that relates pathway function and activity to the evolution of distinct pigment phenotypes. One challenge in creating such a model is the branching structure of pigment pathways, which may lead to evolutionary trade-offs due to competition for shared substrates. In order to predict the effects of shifts in enzyme function and activity on pigment production, we created a simple kinetic model of a major plant pigmentation pathway: the anthocyanin pathway. This model describes the production of the three classes of blue, purple, and red anthocyanin pigments, and accordingly, includes multiple branches and substrate competition. We first studied the general behavior of this model using a naïve set of parameters. We then stochastically evolved the pathway toward a defined optimum and analyzed the patterns of fixed mutations. This approach allowed us to quantify the probability density of trajectories through pathway state space and identify the types and number of changes. Finally, we examined whether our simulated results qualitatively align with experimental observations, i.e., the predominance of mutations which change color by altering the function of branching genes in the pathway. These analyses provide a theoretical framework that can be used to predict the consequences of new mutations in terms of both pigment phenotypes and pleiotropic effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L C Wheeler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S D Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Schweizer RM, Velotta JP, Ivy CM, Jones MR, Muir SM, Bradburd GS, Storz JF, Scott GR, Cheviron ZA. Physiological and genomic evidence that selection on the transcription factor Epas1 has altered cardiovascular function in high-altitude deer mice. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008420. [PMID: 31697676 PMCID: PMC6837288 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary adaptation to extreme environments often requires coordinated changes in multiple intersecting physiological pathways, but how such multi-trait adaptation occurs remains unresolved. Transcription factors, which regulate the expression of many genes and can simultaneously alter multiple phenotypes, may be common targets of selection if the benefits of induced changes outweigh the costs of negative pleiotropic effects. We combined complimentary population genetic analyses and physiological experiments in North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to examine links between genetic variation in transcription factors that coordinate physiological responses to hypoxia (hypoxia-inducible factors, HIFs) and multiple physiological traits that potentially contribute to high-altitude adaptation. First, we sequenced the exomes of 100 mice sampled from different elevations and discovered that several SNPs in the gene Epas1, which encodes the oxygen sensitive subunit of HIF-2α, exhibited extreme allele frequency differences between highland and lowland populations. Broader geographic sampling confirmed that Epas1 genotype varied predictably with altitude throughout the western US. We then discovered that Epas1 genotype influences heart rate in hypoxia, and the transcriptomic responses to hypoxia (including HIF targets and genes involved in catecholamine signaling) in the heart and adrenal gland. Finally, we used a demographically-informed selection scan to show that Epas1 variants have experienced a history of spatially varying selection, suggesting that differences in cardiovascular function and gene regulation contribute to high-altitude adaptation. Our results suggest a mechanism by which Epas1 may aid long-term survival of high-altitude deer mice and provide general insights into the role that highly pleiotropic transcription factors may play in the process of environmental adaptation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rena M. Schweizer
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jonathan P. Velotta
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Catherine M. Ivy
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew R. Jones
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Sarah M. Muir
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Gideon S. Bradburd
- Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Graduate Group, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Jay F. Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Graham R. Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Zachary A. Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Lamrabet O, Plumbridge J, Martin M, Lenski RE, Schneider D, Hindré T. Plasticity of Promoter-Core Sequences Allows Bacteria to Compensate for the Loss of a Key Global Regulatory Gene. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:1121-1133. [PMID: 30825312 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription regulatory networks (TRNs) are of central importance for both short-term phenotypic adaptation in response to environmental fluctuations and long-term evolutionary adaptation, with global regulatory genes often being targets of natural selection in laboratory experiments. Here, we combined evolution experiments, whole-genome resequencing, and molecular genetics to investigate the driving forces, genetic constraints, and molecular mechanisms that dictate how bacteria can cope with a drastic perturbation of their TRNs. The crp gene, encoding a major global regulator in Escherichia coli, was deleted in four different genetic backgrounds, all derived from the Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE) but with different TRN architectures. We confirmed that crp deletion had a more deleterious effect on growth rate in the LTEE-adapted genotypes; and we showed that the ptsG gene, which encodes the major glucose-PTS transporter, gained CRP (cyclic AMP receptor protein) dependence over time in the LTEE. We then further evolved the four crp-deleted genotypes in glucose minimal medium, and we found that they all quickly recovered from their growth defects by increasing glucose uptake. We showed that this recovery was specific to the selective environment and consistently relied on mutations in the cis-regulatory region of ptsG, regardless of the initial genotype. These mutations affected the interplay of transcription factors acting at the promoters, changed the intrinsic properties of the existing promoters, or produced new transcription initiation sites. Therefore, the plasticity of even a single promoter region can compensate by three different mechanisms for the loss of a key regulatory hub in the E. coli TRN.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Otmane Lamrabet
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, TIMC-IMAG, Grenoble, France
| | - Jacqueline Plumbridge
- CNRS UMR8261, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut de Biologie Physico-chimique, Paris, France
| | - Mikaël Martin
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, TIMC-IMAG, Grenoble, France
| | - Richard E Lenski
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | | | - Thomas Hindré
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, TIMC-IMAG, Grenoble, France
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Convergent evolution on the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway genes EGLN1 and EPAS1 in high-altitude ducks. Heredity (Edinb) 2019; 122:819-832. [PMID: 30631144 PMCID: PMC6781116 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-018-0173-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
During periods of reduced O2 supply, the most profound changes in gene expression are mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) transcription factors that play a key role in cellular responses to low-O2 tension. Using target-enrichment sequencing, we tested whether variation in 26 genes in the HIF signaling pathway was associated with high altitude and therefore corresponding O2 availability in three duck species that colonized the Andes from ancestral low-altitude habitats in South America. We found strong support for convergent evolution in the case of two of the three duck species with the same genes (EGLN1, EPAS1), and even the same exons (exon 12, EPAS1), exhibiting extreme outliers with a high probability of directional selection in the high-altitude populations. These results mirror patterns of adaptation seen in human populations, which showed mutations in EPAS1, and transcriptional regulation differences in EGLN1, causing changes in downstream target transactivation, associated with a blunted hypoxic response.
Collapse
|
27
|
Lovell JT, Jenkins J, Lowry DB, Mamidi S, Sreedasyam A, Weng X, Barry K, Bonnette J, Campitelli B, Daum C, Gordon SP, Gould BA, Khasanova A, Lipzen A, MacQueen A, Palacio-Mejía JD, Plott C, Shakirov EV, Shu S, Yoshinaga Y, Zane M, Kudrna D, Talag JD, Rokhsar D, Grimwood J, Schmutz J, Juenger TE. The genomic landscape of molecular responses to natural drought stress in Panicum hallii. Nat Commun 2018; 9:5213. [PMID: 30523281 PMCID: PMC6283873 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07669-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental stress is a major driver of ecological community dynamics and agricultural productivity. This is especially true for soil water availability, because drought is the greatest abiotic inhibitor of worldwide crop yields. Here, we test the genetic basis of drought responses in the genetic model for C4 perennial grasses, Panicum hallii, through population genomics, field-scale gene-expression (eQTL) analysis, and comparison of two complete genomes. While gene expression networks are dominated by local cis-regulatory elements, we observe three genomic hotspots of unlinked trans-regulatory loci. These regulatory hubs are four times more drought responsive than the genome-wide average. Additionally, cis- and trans-regulatory networks are more likely to have opposing effects than expected under neutral evolution, supporting a strong influence of compensatory evolution and stabilizing selection. These results implicate trans-regulatory evolution as a driver of drought responses and demonstrate the potential for crop improvement in drought-prone regions through modification of gene regulatory networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John T Lovell
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, 35806, AL, USA.
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA.
| | - Jerry Jenkins
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, 35806, AL, USA
| | - David B Lowry
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA
| | - Sujan Mamidi
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, 35806, AL, USA
| | - Avinash Sreedasyam
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, 35806, AL, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Weng
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Kerrie Barry
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, 94598, CA, USA
| | - Jason Bonnette
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Brandon Campitelli
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Chris Daum
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, 94598, CA, USA
| | - Sean P Gordon
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, 94598, CA, USA
- Zymergen Inc, Emeryville, 94608, CA, USA
| | - Billie A Gould
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA
| | - Albina Khasanova
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | - Anna Lipzen
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, 94598, CA, USA
| | - Alice MacQueen
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
| | | | - Christopher Plott
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, 35806, AL, USA
| | - Eugene V Shakirov
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008, Russia
| | - Shengqiang Shu
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, 94598, CA, USA
| | - Yuko Yoshinaga
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, 94598, CA, USA
| | - Matt Zane
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, 94598, CA, USA
| | - Dave Kudrna
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 85719, AZ, USA
| | - Jason D Talag
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 85719, AZ, USA
| | - Daniel Rokhsar
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, CA, USA
| | - Jane Grimwood
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, 35806, AL, USA
| | - Jeremy Schmutz
- Genome Sequencing Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, 35806, AL, USA.
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, 94598, CA, USA.
| | - Thomas E Juenger
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Koubkova-Yu TCT, Chao JC, Leu JY. Heterologous Hsp90 promotes phenotypic diversity through network evolution. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2006450. [PMID: 30439936 PMCID: PMC6264905 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological processes in living cells are often carried out by gene networks in which signals and reactions are integrated through network hubs. Despite their functional importance, it remains unclear to what extent network hubs are evolvable and how alterations impact long-term evolution. We investigated these issues using heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), a central hub of proteostasis networks. When native Hsp90 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells was replaced by the ortholog from hypersaline-tolerant Yarrowia lipolytica that diverged from S. cerevisiae about 270 million years ago, the cells exhibited improved growth in hypersaline environments but compromised growth in others, indicating functional divergence in Hsp90 between the two yeasts. Laboratory evolution shows that evolved Y. lipolytica-HSP90–carrying S. cerevisiae cells exhibit a wider range of phenotypic variation than cells carrying native Hsp90. Identified beneficial mutations are involved in multiple pathways and are often pleiotropic. Our results show that cells adapt to a heterologous Hsp90 by modifying different subnetworks, facilitating the evolution of phenotypic diversity inaccessible to wild-type cells. Biological processes in living cells are often carried out by gene networks. Hubs are highly connected network components important for integrating signal inputs and generating responsive functional outputs. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), a versatile hub in the protein homeostasis network, is a molecular chaperone essential for cell viability in all tested eukaryotic cells. In yeast, about a quarter of the expressed proteins are profoundly influenced when Hsp90 activity is reduced. Despite its pivotal role, we found that the function of Hsp90 has diverged between two yeast species, Yarrowia lipolytica and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which split about 270 million years ago. To understand the impacts and adaptive strategies in cells with an altered network hub, we conducted laboratory evolution experiments using a S. cerevisiae strain in which native Hsp90 is replaced by its counterpart in Y. lipolytica. We observed different fitness gain or loss under various stress conditions in individual evolved clones, suggesting that cells adapted via different evolutionary paths. Genome sequencing and mutation reconstitution experiments show that beneficial mutations occurred in multiple Hsp90-related pathways that interact with each other. Our results show that a perturbed network allows cells to evolve a broader range of phenotypic diversity unavailable to wild-type cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Chih-Ting Koubkova-Yu
- Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, National Chung-Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Chi Chao
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jun-Yi Leu
- Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, National Chung-Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Johnson BR. Taxonomically Restricted Genes Are Fundamental to Biology and Evolution. Front Genet 2018; 9:407. [PMID: 30294344 PMCID: PMC6158316 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes limited to particular clades, taxonomically restricted genes (TRGs), are common in all sequenced genomes. TRGs have recently become associated with the evolution of novelty, as numerous studies across the tree of life have now linked expression of TRGs with novel phenotypes. However, TRGs that underlie ancient lineage specific traits have been largely omitted from discussions of the general importance of TRGs. Here it is argued that when all TRGs are considered, it is apparent that TRGs are fundamental to biology and evolution and likely play many complementary roles to the better understood toolkit genes. Genes underlying photosynthesis and skeletons, for example, are examples of commonplace fundamental TRGs. Essentially, although basic cell biology has a highly conserved genetic basis across the tree of life, most major clades also have lineage specific traits central to their biology and these traits are often based on TRGs. In short, toolkit genes underlie what is conserved across organisms, while TRGs define in many cases what is unique. An appreciation of the importance of TRGs will improve our understanding of evolution by triggering the study of neglected topics in which TRGs are of paramount importance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian R Johnson
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Igler C, Lagator M, Tkačik G, Bollback JP, Guet CC. Evolutionary potential of transcription factors for gene regulatory rewiring. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1633-1643. [PMID: 30201966 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0651-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Gene regulatory networks evolve through rewiring of individual components-that is, through changes in regulatory connections. However, the mechanistic basis of regulatory rewiring is poorly understood. Using a canonical gene regulatory system, we quantify the properties of transcription factors that determine the evolutionary potential for rewiring of regulatory connections: robustness, tunability and evolvability. In vivo repression measurements of two repressors at mutated operator sites reveal their contrasting evolutionary potential: while robustness and evolvability were positively correlated, both were in trade-off with tunability. Epistatic interactions between adjacent operators alleviated this trade-off. A thermodynamic model explains how the differences in robustness, tunability and evolvability arise from biophysical characteristics of repressor-DNA binding. The model also uncovers that the energy matrix, which describes how mutations affect repressor-DNA binding, encodes crucial information about the evolutionary potential of a repressor. The biophysical determinants of evolutionary potential for regulatory rewiring constitute a mechanistic framework for understanding network evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mato Lagator
- IST Austria, Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | | | - Jonathan P Bollback
- IST Austria, Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg, Austria.,Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Călin C Guet
- IST Austria, Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Rogers JM, Bulyk ML. Diversification of transcription factor-DNA interactions and the evolution of gene regulatory networks. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2018; 10:e1423. [PMID: 29694718 PMCID: PMC6202284 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) bind short DNA sequences in the genome to regulate the expression of target genes. In the last decade, numerous technical advances have enabled the determination of the DNA-binding specificities of many of these factors. Large-scale screens of many TFs enabled the creation of databases of TF DNA-binding specificities, typically represented as position weight matrices (PWMs). Although great progress has been made in determining and predicting binding specificities systematically, there are still many surprises to be found when studying a particular TF's interactions with DNA in detail. Paralogous TFs' binding specificities can differ in subtle ways, in a manner that is not immediately apparent from looking at their PWMs. These differences affect gene regulatory outputs and enable TFs to rewire transcriptional networks over evolutionary time. This review discusses recent observations made in the study of TF-DNA interactions that highlight the importance of continued in-depth analysis of TF-DNA interactions and their inherent complexity. This article is categorized under: Biological Mechanisms > Regulatory Biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia M. Rogers
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA,Committee on Higher Degrees in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Martha L. Bulyk
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA,Committee on Higher Degrees in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA,Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Zeng Z, Sun H, Vainio EJ, Raffaello T, Kovalchuk A, Morin E, Duplessis S, Asiegbu FO. Intraspecific comparative genomics of isolates of the Norway spruce pathogen (Heterobasidion parviporum) and identification of its potential virulence factors. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:220. [PMID: 29580224 PMCID: PMC5870257 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4610-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heterobasidion parviporum is an economically most important fungal forest pathogen in northern Europe, causing root and butt rot disease of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and virulence of this species remain elusive. No reference genome to facilitate functional analysis is available for this species. RESULTS To better understand the virulence factor at both phenotypic and genomic level, we characterized 15 H. parviporum isolates originating from different locations across Finland for virulence, vegetative growth, sporulation and saprotrophic wood decay. Wood decay capability and latitude of fungal origins exerted interactive effects on their virulence and appeared important for H. parviporum virulence. We sequenced the most virulent isolate, the first full genome sequences of H. parviporum as a reference genome, and re-sequenced the remaining 14 H. parviporum isolates. Genome-wide alignments and intrinsic polymorphism analysis showed that these isolates exhibited overall high genomic similarity with an average of at least 96% nucleotide identity when compared to the reference, yet had remarkable intra-specific level of polymorphism with a bias for CpG to TpG mutations. Reads mapping coverage analysis enabled the classification of all predicted genes into five groups and uncovered two genomic regions exclusively present in the reference with putative contribution to its higher virulence. Genes enriched for copy number variations (deletions and duplications) and nucleotide polymorphism were involved in oxidation-reduction processes and encoding domains relevant to transcription factors. Some secreted protein coding genes based on the genome-wide selection pressure, or the presence of variants were proposed as potential virulence candidates. CONCLUSION Our study reported on the first reference genome sequence for this Norway spruce pathogen (H. parviporum). Comparative genomics analysis gave insight into the overall genomic variation among this fungal species and also facilitated the identification of several secreted protein coding genes as putative virulence factors for the further functional analysis. We also analyzed and identified phenotypic traits potentially linked to its virulence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zeng
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hui Sun
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Eeva J. Vainio
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tommaso Raffaello
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Andriy Kovalchuk
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emmanuelle Morin
- INRA UMR 1136 Interactions Arbres Micro-organismes, INRA Centre Grand Est Nancy, Champenoux, France
| | - Sébastien Duplessis
- INRA UMR 1136 Interactions Arbres Micro-organismes, INRA Centre Grand Est Nancy, Champenoux, France
- UMR 1136 Interactions Arbres/Microorganismes, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Fred O. Asiegbu
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Rhoné B, Mariac C, Couderc M, Berthouly-Salazar C, Ousseini IS, Vigouroux Y. No Excess of Cis-Regulatory Variation Associated with Intraspecific Selection in Wild Pearl Millet (Cenchrus americanus). Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:388-397. [PMID: 28137746 PMCID: PMC5381623 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies suggest that cis-regulatory mutations are the favorite target of evolutionary changes, one reason being that cis-regulatory mutations might have fewer deleterious pleiotropic effects than protein-coding mutations. A review of the process also suggests that this bias towards adaptive cis-regulatory variation might be less pronounced at the intraspecific level compared with the interspecific level. In this study, we assessed the contribution of cis-regulatory variation to adaptation at the intraspecific level using populations of wild pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus ssp. monodii) sampled along an environmental gradient in Niger. From RNA sequencing of hybrids to assess allele-specific expression, we identified genes with cis-regulatory divergence between two parental accessions collected in contrasted environmental conditions. This revealed that ∼15% of transcribed genes showed cis-regulatory variation. Intersecting the gene set exhibiting cis-regulatory variation with the gene set identified as targets of selection revealed no excess of cis-acting mutations among the selected genes. We additionally found no excess of cis-regulatory variation among genes associated with adaptive traits. As our approach relied on methods identifying mainly genes submitted to strong selection pressure or with high phenotypic effect, the contribution of cis-regulatory changes to soft selection or polygenic adaptive traits remains to be tested. However our results favor the hypothesis that enrichment of adaptive cis-regulatory divergence builds up over time. For short evolutionary time-scales, cis-acting mutations are not predominantly involved in adaptive evolution associated with strong selective signal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bénédicte Rhoné
- Unité Mixte de Recherche Diversité Adaptation et Développement des Plantes (UMR DIADE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France.,Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Cédric Mariac
- Unité Mixte de Recherche Diversité Adaptation et Développement des Plantes (UMR DIADE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France
| | - Marie Couderc
- Unité Mixte de Recherche Diversité Adaptation et Développement des Plantes (UMR DIADE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France
| | - Cécile Berthouly-Salazar
- Unité Mixte de Recherche Diversité Adaptation et Développement des Plantes (UMR DIADE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France.,Laboratoire Mixte International Adaptation des Plantes et Microorganismes Associés aux Stress Environnementaux (LMI LAPSE), Centre de Recherche de Bel Air, Dakar, Sénégal
| | - Issaka Salia Ousseini
- Unité Mixte de Recherche Diversité Adaptation et Développement des Plantes (UMR DIADE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France.,Laboratoire Mixte International Adaptation des Plantes et Microorganismes Associés aux Stress Environnementaux (LMI LAPSE), Centre de Recherche de Bel Air, Dakar, Sénégal.,Biology Department, Unité Mixte de Recherche Diversité Adaptation et Développement des plantes (UMR DIADE), Université Montpellier, France.,Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, Niger
| | - Yves Vigouroux
- Unité Mixte de Recherche Diversité Adaptation et Développement des Plantes (UMR DIADE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France.,Laboratoire Mixte International Adaptation des Plantes et Microorganismes Associés aux Stress Environnementaux (LMI LAPSE), Centre de Recherche de Bel Air, Dakar, Sénégal.,Biology Department, Unité Mixte de Recherche Diversité Adaptation et Développement des plantes (UMR DIADE), Université Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Relating protein functional diversity to cell type number identifies genes that determine dynamic aspects of chromatin organisation as potential contributors to organismal complexity. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185409. [PMID: 28945800 PMCID: PMC5612723 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Organismal complexity broadly relates to the number of different cell types within an organism and generally increases across a phylogeny. Whilst gene expression will underpin organismal complexity, it has long been clear that a simple count of gene number is not a sufficient explanation. In this paper, we use open-access information from the Ensembl databases to quantify the functional diversity of human genes that are broadly involved in transcription. Functional diversity is described in terms of the numbers of paralogues, protein isoforms and structural domains for each gene. The change in functional diversity is then calculated for up to nine orthologues from the nematode worm to human and correlated to the change in cell-type number. Those with the highest correlation are subject to gene ontology term enrichment and interaction analyses. We found that a range of genes that encode proteins associated with dynamic changes to chromatin are good candidates to contribute to organismal complexity.
Collapse
|
35
|
Ritzman TB, Banovich N, Buss KP, Guida J, Rubel MA, Pinney J, Khang B, Ravosa MJ, Stone AC. Facing the facts: The Runx2 gene is associated with variation in facial morphology in primates. J Hum Evol 2017; 111:139-151. [PMID: 28874267 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Revised: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The phylogenetic and adaptive factors that cause variation in primate facial form-including differences among the major primate clades and variation related to feeding and/or social behavior-are relatively well understood. However, comparatively little is known about the genetic mechanisms that underlie diversity in facial form in primates. Because it is essential for osteoblastic differentiation and skeletal development, the runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) is one gene that may play a role in these genetic mechanisms. Specifically, polymorphisms in the QA ratio (determined by the ratio of the number of polyglutamines to polyalanines in one functional domain of Runx2) have been shown to be correlated with variation in facial length and orientation in other mammal groups. However, to date, the relationship between variation in this gene and variation in facial form in primates has not been explicitly tested. To test the hypothesis that the QA ratio is correlated with facial form in primates, the current study quantified the QA ratio, facial length, and facial angle in a sample of 33 primate species and tested for correlation using phylogenetic generalized least squares. The results indicate that the QA ratio of the Runx2 gene is positively correlated with variation in relative facial length in anthropoid primates. However, no correlation was found in strepsirrhines, and there was no correlation between facial angle and the QA ratio in any groups. These results suggest that, in primates, the QA ratio of the Runx2 gene may play a role in modulating facial size, but not facial orientation. This study therefore provides important clues about the genetic and developmental mechanisms that may underlie variation in facial form in primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Terrence B Ritzman
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
| | - Nicholas Banovich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kaitlin P Buss
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jennifer Guida
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Meagan A Rubel
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jennifer Pinney
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Bao Khang
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Matthew J Ravosa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA; Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA; Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
| | - Anne C Stone
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Center for Bioarchaeological Research, ASU, Tempe, AZ, USA; Institute of Human Origins, ASU, Tempe, AZ, USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Sousa AMM, Meyer KA, Santpere G, Gulden FO, Sestan N. Evolution of the Human Nervous System Function, Structure, and Development. Cell 2017; 170:226-247. [PMID: 28708995 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 243] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The nervous system-in particular, the brain and its cognitive abilities-is among humans' most distinctive and impressive attributes. How the nervous system has changed in the human lineage and how it differs from that of closely related primates is not well understood. Here, we consider recent comparative analyses of extant species that are uncovering new evidence for evolutionary changes in the size and the number of neurons in the human nervous system, as well as the cellular and molecular reorganization of its neural circuits. We also discuss the developmental mechanisms and underlying genetic and molecular changes that generate these structural and functional differences. As relevant new information and tools materialize at an unprecedented pace, the field is now ripe for systematic and functionally relevant studies of the development and evolution of human nervous system specializations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- André M M Sousa
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kyle A Meyer
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Gabriel Santpere
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Forrest O Gulden
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nenad Sestan
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Section of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Choudhary SB, Chowdhury I, Singh RK, Pandey SP, Sharma HK, Anil Kumar A, Karmakar PG, Kumari N, Souframanien J, Jambhulkar SJ. Morphological, Histobiochemical and Molecular Characterisation of Low Lignin Phloem Fibre (llpf) Mutant of Dark Jute (Corchorus olitorius L.). Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2017; 183:980-992. [PMID: 28497373 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-017-2477-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Lignin is a versatile plant metabolite challenging high-end industrial applications of several plant products including jute. Application of developmental mutant in regulation of lignification in jute may open up door for much awaited jute based diversified products. In the present study, a novel dark jute (Corchorus olitorius L.) mutant with low lignin (7.23%) in phloem fibre being compared to wild-type JRO 204 (13.7%) was identified and characterised. Unique morphological features including undulated stem, petiole and leaf vein distinguished the mutant in gamma ray irradiated mutant population. Histological and biochemical analysis revealed reduced lignification of phloem fibre cells of the plant. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated temporal transcriptional regulation of CCoAMT1 gene in the mutant. The mutant was found an extremely useful model to study phloem fibre developmental biology in the crop besides acting as a donor genetic stock for low lignin containing jute fibre in dark jute improvement programme.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S B Choudhary
- ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700120, India.
| | - I Chowdhury
- ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700120, India
| | - R K Singh
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, 741246, India
| | - S P Pandey
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal, 741246, India
| | - H K Sharma
- ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700120, India
| | - A Anil Kumar
- ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700120, India
| | - P G Karmakar
- ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700120, India
| | - N Kumari
- Banaras Hindu University-Institute of Agricultural Science, Varanasi, U.P, 221005, India
| | - J Souframanien
- Nuclear Agriculture & Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India
| | - S J Jambhulkar
- Nuclear Agriculture & Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, 400085, India
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Vaschetto LM. Understanding the role of protein interaction motifs in transcriptional regulators: implications for crop improvement. Brief Funct Genomics 2017; 16:152-155. [PMID: 27288433 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elw022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, the conjunction of disciplines such as developmental biology and proteomics enabled the dissection of diverse cellular processes, by analysis of their transcriptional regulatory pathways. In particular, it has been shown that transcription factor interactions play critical roles in the development of many complex traits and control cellular phenotypic plasticity, whereas protein phosphorylation modifications regulate protein activity at the posttranslational level. The present work posits that protein-protein interactions by functional motifs, as well as the phosphorylation state in these sites, are fundamental plant biological phenotype determinants, whose elucidation and understanding will allow manipulation of complex traits, thereby contributing to the design of novel methodologies for molecular breeders and plant physiologists.
Collapse
|
39
|
Wang X, Kültz D. Osmolality/salinity-responsive enhancers (OSREs) control induction of osmoprotective genes in euryhaline fish. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E2729-E2738. [PMID: 28289196 PMCID: PMC5380061 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1614712114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fish respond to salinity stress by transcriptional induction of many genes, but the mechanism of their osmotic regulation is unknown. We developed a reporter assay using cells derived from the brain of the tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus (OmB cells) to identify osmolality/salinity-responsive enhancers (OSREs) in the genes of Omossambicus Genomic DNA comprising the regulatory regions of two strongly salinity-induced genes, inositol monophosphatase 1 (IMPA1.1) and myo-inositol phosphate synthase (MIPS), was isolated and analyzed with dual luciferase enhancer trap reporter assays. We identified five sequences (two in IMPA1.1 and three in MIPS) that share a common consensus element (DDKGGAAWWDWWYDNRB), which we named "OSRE1." Additional OSREs that were less effective in conferring salinity-induced trans-activation and do not match the OSRE1 consensus also were identified in both MIPS and IMPA1.1 Although OSRE1 shares homology with the mammalian osmotic-response element/tonicity-responsive enhancer (ORE/TonE) enhancer, the latter is insufficient to confer osmotic induction in fish. Like other enhancers, OSRE1 trans-activates genes independent of orientation. We conclude that OSRE1 is a cis-regulatory element (CRE) that enhances the hyperosmotic induction of osmoregulated genes in fish. Our study also shows that tailored reporter assays developed for OmB cells facilitate the identification of CREs in fish genomes. Knowledge of the OSRE1 motif allows affinity-purification of the corresponding transcription factor and computational approaches for enhancer screening of fish genomes. Moreover, our study enables targeted inactivation of OSRE1 enhancers, a method superior to gene knockout for functional characterization because it confines impairment of gene function to a specific context (salinity stress) and eliminates pitfalls of constitutive gene knockouts (embryonic lethality, developmental compensation).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodan Wang
- Biochemical Evolution Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616
- Laboratory of Aquaculture Nutrition and Environmental Health, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Dietmar Kültz
- Biochemical Evolution Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616;
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Viscardi LH, Tovo-Rodrigues L, Paré P, Fagundes NJR, Salzano FM, Paixão-Côrtes VR, Bau CHD, Bortolini MC. FOXP in Tetrapoda: Intrinsically Disordered Regions, Short Linear Motifs and their evolutionary significance. Genet Mol Biol 2017; 40:181-190. [PMID: 28257525 PMCID: PMC5409772 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2016-0115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The FOXP subfamily is probably the most extensively characterized subfamily of the forkhead superfamily, playing important roles in development and homeostasis in vertebrates. Intrinsically disorder protein regions (IDRs) are protein segments that exhibit multiple physical interactions and play critical roles in various biological processes, including regulation and signaling. IDRs in proteins may play an important role in the evolvability of genetic systems. In this study, we analyzed 77 orthologous FOXP genes/proteins from Tetrapoda, regarding protein disorder content and evolutionary rate. We also predicted the number and type of short linear motifs (SLIMs) in the IDRs. Similar levels of protein disorder (approximately 70%) were found for FOXP1, FOXP2, and FOXP4. However, for FOXP3, which is shorter in length and has a more specific function, the disordered content was lower (30%). Mammals showed higher protein disorders for FOXP1 and FOXP4 than non-mammals. Specific analyses related to linear motifs in the four genes showed also a clear differentiation between FOXPs in mammals and non-mammals. We predicted for the first time the role of IDRs and SLIMs in the FOXP gene family associated with possible adaptive novelties within Tetrapoda. For instance, we found gain and loss of important phosphorylation sites in the Homo sapiens FOXP2 IDR regions, with possible implication for the evolution of human speech.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Henriques Viscardi
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular,
Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,
RS, Brazil
| | - Luciana Tovo-Rodrigues
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de
Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
| | - Pamela Paré
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular,
Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,
RS, Brazil
| | - Nelson Jurandi Rosa Fagundes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular,
Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,
RS, Brazil
| | - Francisco Mauro Salzano
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular,
Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,
RS, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Rodrigues Paixão-Côrtes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biodiversidade, Instituto de
Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Claiton Henrique Dotto Bau
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular,
Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,
RS, Brazil
| | - Maria Cátira Bortolini
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular,
Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,
RS, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Xue X, Davis MC, Steeves T, Bishop A, Breen J, MacEacheron A, Kesthely CA, Hsu F, MacLellan SR. Characterization of a protein-protein interaction within the SigO-RsoA two-subunit σ factor: the σ70 region 2.3-like segment of RsoA mediates interaction with SigO. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2016; 162:1857-1869. [PMID: 27558998 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
σ factors are single subunit general transcription factors that reversibly bind core RNA polymerase and mediate gene-specific transcription in bacteria. Previously, an atypical two-subunit σ factor was identified that activates transcription from a group of related promoters in Bacillus subtilis. Both of the subunits, named SigO and RsoA, share primary sequence similarity with the canonical σ70 family of σ factors and interact with each other and with RNA polymerase subunits. Here we show that the σ70 region 2.3-like segment of RsoA is unexpectedly sufficient for interaction with the amino-terminus of SigO and the β' subunit. A mutational analysis of RsoA identified aromatic residues conserved amongst all RsoA homologues, and often amongst canonical σ factors, that are particularly important for the SigO-RsoA interaction. In a canonical σ factor, region 2.3 amino acids bind non-template strand DNA, trapping the promoter in a single-stranded state required for initiation of transcription. Accordingly, we speculate that RsoA region 2.3 protein-binding activity likely arose from a motif that, at least in its ancestral protein, participated in DNA-binding interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Xue
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Maria C Davis
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Thomas Steeves
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Adam Bishop
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Jillian Breen
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | | | | | - FoSheng Hsu
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Shawn R MacLellan
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
A Derived Allosteric Switch Underlies the Evolution of Conditional Cooperativity between HOXA11 and FOXO1. Cell Rep 2016; 15:2097-2108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.04.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Revised: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
|
43
|
Short S, Peterkin T, Guille M, Patient R, Sharpe C. Short linear motif acquisition, exon formation and alternative splicing determine a pathway to diversity for NCoR-family co-repressors. Open Biol 2016; 5:rsob.150063. [PMID: 26289800 PMCID: PMC4554918 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.150063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate NCoR-family co-repressors play central roles in the timing of embryo and stem cell differentiation by repressing the activity of a range of transcription factors. They interact with nuclear receptors using short linear motifs (SLiMs) termed co-repressor for nuclear receptor (CoRNR) boxes. Here, we identify the pathway leading to increasing co-repressor diversity across the deuterostomes. The final complement of CoRNR boxes arose in an ancestral cephalochordate, and was encoded in one large exon; the urochordates and vertebrates then split this region between 10 and 12 exons. In Xenopus, alternative splicing is prevalent in NCoR2, but absent in NCoR1. We show for one NCoR1 exon that alternative splicing can be recovered by a single point mutation, suggesting NCoR1 lost the capacity for alternative splicing. Analyses in Xenopus and zebrafish identify that cellular context, rather than gene sequence, predominantly determines species differences in alternative splicing. We identify a pathway to diversity for the NCoR family beginning with the addition of a SLiM, followed by gene duplication, the generation of alternatively spliced isoforms and their differential deployment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Short
- Institute of Marine Sciences, School of Biological Science, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DY, UK
| | - Tessa Peterkin
- The Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Matthew Guille
- Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DY, UK European Xenopus Resource Centre, University of Portsmouth, St Michael's Building, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK
| | - Roger Patient
- The Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Colin Sharpe
- Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DY, UK European Xenopus Resource Centre, University of Portsmouth, St Michael's Building, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Lovell JT, Schwartz S, Lowry DB, Shakirov EV, Bonnette JE, Weng X, Wang M, Johnson J, Sreedasyam A, Plott C, Jenkins J, Schmutz J, Juenger TE. Drought responsive gene expression regulatory divergence between upland and lowland ecotypes of a perennial C4 grass. Genome Res 2016; 26:510-8. [PMID: 26953271 PMCID: PMC4817774 DOI: 10.1101/gr.198135.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Climatic adaptation is an example of a genotype-by-environment interaction (G×E) of fitness. Selection upon gene expression regulatory variation can contribute to adaptive phenotypic diversity; however, surprisingly few studies have examined how genome-wide patterns of gene expression G×E are manifested in response to environmental stress and other selective agents that cause climatic adaptation. Here, we characterize drought-responsive expression divergence between upland (drought-adapted) and lowland (mesic) ecotypes of the perennial C4 grass,Panicum hallii, in natural field conditions. Overall, we find that cis-regulatory elements contributed to gene expression divergence across 47% of genes, 7.2% of which exhibit drought-responsive G×E. While less well-represented, we observe 1294 genes (7.8%) with transeffects.Trans-by-environment interactions are weaker and much less common than cis G×E, occurring in only 0.7% oft rans-regulated genes. Finally, gene expression heterosis is highly enriched in expression phenotypes with significant G×E. As such, modes of inheritance that drive heterosis, such as dominance or overdominance, may be common among G×E genes. Interestingly, motifs specific to drought-responsive transcription factors are highly enriched in the promoters of genes exhibiting G×E and transregulation, indicating that expression G×E and heterosis may result from the evolution of transcription factors or their binding sites.P. hallii serves as the genomic model for its close relative and emerging biofuel crop, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Accordingly, the results here not only aid in the discovery of the genetic mechanisms that underlie local adaptation but also provide a foundation to improve switchgrass yield under water-limited conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John T Lovell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Scott Schwartz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - David B Lowry
- Department of Plant Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Eugene V Shakirov
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA; Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan 42008, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia
| | - Jason E Bonnette
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Weng
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Mei Wang
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California 94598, USA
| | - Jenifer Johnson
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California 94598, USA
| | | | - Christopher Plott
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
| | - Jerry Jenkins
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
| | - Jeremy Schmutz
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California 94598, USA; HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama 35806, USA
| | - Thomas E Juenger
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Complex patterns of differential expression in candidate master regulatory genes for social behavior in honey bees. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2071-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
46
|
Dylus DV, Czarkwiani A, Stångberg J, Ortega-Martinez O, Dupont S, Oliveri P. Large-scale gene expression study in the ophiuroid Amphiura filiformis provides insights into evolution of gene regulatory networks. EvoDevo 2016; 7:2. [PMID: 26759711 PMCID: PMC4709884 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-015-0039-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The evolutionary mechanisms involved in shaping complex gene regulatory networks (GRN) that encode for morphologically similar structures in distantly related animals remain elusive. In this context, echinoderm larval skeletons found in brittle stars and sea urchins provide an ideal system. Here, we characterize for the first time the development of the larval skeleton in the ophiuroid Amphiura filiformis and compare it systematically with its counterpart in sea urchin. Results We show that ophiuroids and euechinoids, that split at least 480 Million years ago (Mya), have remarkable similarities in tempo and mode of skeletal development. Despite morphological and ontological similarities, our high-resolution study of the dynamics of genetic regulatory states in A. filiformis highlights numerous differences in the architecture of their underlying GRNs. Importantly, the A.filiformispplx, the closest gene to the sea urchin double negative gate (DNG) repressor pmar1, fails to drive the skeletogenic program in sea urchin, showing important evolutionary differences in protein function. hesC, the second repressor of the DNG, is co-expressed with most of the genes that are repressed in sea urchin, indicating the absence of direct repression of tbr, ets1/2, and delta in A. filiformis. Furthermore, the absence of expression in later stages of brittle star skeleton development of key regulatory genes, such as foxb and dri, shows significantly different regulatory states. Conclusion Our data fill up an important gap in the picture of larval mesoderm in echinoderms and allows us to explore the evolutionary implications relative to the recently established phylogeny of echinoderm classes. In light of recent studies on other echinoderms, our data highlight a high evolutionary plasticity of the same nodes throughout evolution of echinoderm skeletogenesis. Finally, gene duplication, protein function diversification, and cis-regulatory element evolution all contributed to shape the regulatory program for larval skeletogenesis in different branches of echinoderms. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13227-015-0039-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Viktor Dylus
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Room 426, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK ; CoMPLEX/SysBio, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK ; Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Czarkwiani
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Room 426, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Josefine Stångberg
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Room 426, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK ; Research Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Olga Ortega-Martinez
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg 566, 451 78 Fiskebäckskil, Sweden
| | - Sam Dupont
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Kristineberg 566, 451 78 Fiskebäckskil, Sweden
| | - Paola Oliveri
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Room 426, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Gonthier P, Sillo F, Lagostina E, Roccotelli A, Cacciola OS, Stenlid J, Garbelotto M. Selection processes in simple sequence repeats suggest a correlation with their genomic location: insights from a fungal model system. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:1107. [PMID: 26714466 PMCID: PMC4696308 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-2274-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adaptive processes shape the evolution of genomes and the diverse functions of different genomic regions are likely to have an impact on the trajectory and outcome of this evolution. The main underlying hypothesis of this study is that the evolution of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) is correlated with the evolution of the genomic region in which they are located, resulting in differences of motif size, number of repeats, and levels of polymorphisms. These differences should be clearly detectable when analyzing the frequency and type of SSRs within the genome of a species, when studying populations within a species, and when comparing closely related sister taxa. By coupling a genome-wide SSR survey in the genome of the plant pathogenic fungus Heterobasidion irregulare with an analysis of intra- and interspecific variability of 39 SSR markers in five populations of the two sibling species H. irregulare and H. annosum, we investigated mechanisms of evolution of SSRs. RESULTS Results showed a clear dominance of trirepeats and a selection against other repeat number, i.e. di- and tetranucleotides, both in regions inside Open Reading Frames (ORFs) and upstream 5' untranslated region (5'UTR). Locus per locus AMOVA showed SSRs both inside ORFs and upstream 5'UTR were more conserved within species compared to SSRs in other genomic regions, suggesting their evolution is constrained by the functions of the regions they are in. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) indicated that even if SSRs inside ORFs were less polymorphic than those in intergenic regions, they were more powerful in differentiating species. These findings indicate SSRs evolution undergoes a directional selection pressure comparable to that of the ORFs they interrupt and to that of regions involved in regulatory functions. CONCLUSIONS Our work linked the variation and the type of SSRs with regions upstream 5'UTR, putatively harbouring regulatory elements, and shows that the evolution of SSRs might be affected by their location in the genome. Additionally, this study provides a first glimpse on a possible molecular basis for fast adaptation to the environment mediated by SSRs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Gonthier
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, 10095, Grugliasco, Italy.
| | - Fabiano Sillo
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, 10095, Grugliasco, Italy.
| | - Elisa Lagostina
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley, CA, 94720, Berkeley, USA. .,Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Angela Roccotelli
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley, CA, 94720, Berkeley, USA. .,Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, 89122, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
| | - Olga Santa Cacciola
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, 95123, Catania, Italy.
| | - Jan Stenlid
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Matteo Garbelotto
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley, CA, 94720, Berkeley, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Pavličev M, Cheverud JM. Constraints Evolve: Context Dependency of Gene Effects Allows Evolution of Pleiotropy. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2015. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela Pavličev
- Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229;
| | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Pick L. Hox genes, evo-devo, and the case of the ftz gene. Chromosoma 2015; 125:535-51. [PMID: 26596987 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-015-0553-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Revised: 10/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of the broad conservation of embryonic regulatory genes across animal phyla, launched by the cloning of homeotic genes in the 1980s, was a founding event in the field of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). While it had long been known that fundamental cellular processes, commonly referred to as housekeeping functions, are shared by animals and plants across the planet-processes such as the storage of information in genomic DNA, transcription, translation and the machinery for these processes, universal codon usage, and metabolic enzymes-Hox genes were different: mutations in these genes caused "bizarre" homeotic transformations of insect body parts that were certainly interesting but were expected to be idiosyncratic. The isolation of the genes responsible for these bizarre phenotypes turned out to be highly conserved Hox genes that play roles in embryonic patterning throughout Metazoa. How Hox genes have changed to promote the development of diverse body plans remains a central issue of the field of evo-devo today. For this Memorial article series, I review events around the discovery of the broad evolutionary conservation of Hox genes and the impact of this discovery on the field of developmental biology. I highlight studies carried out in Walter Gehring's lab and by former lab members that have continued to push the field forward, raising new questions and forging new approaches to understand the evolution of developmental mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Pick
- Department of Entomology and Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Fyon F, Cailleau A, Lenormand T. Enhancer Runaway and the Evolution of Diploid Gene Expression. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005665. [PMID: 26561855 PMCID: PMC4642963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence is mounting that the evolution of gene expression plays a major role in adaptation and speciation. Understanding the evolution of gene regulatory regions is indeed an essential step in linking genotypes and phenotypes and in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying evolutionary change. The common view is that expression traits (protein folding, expression timing, tissue localization and concentration) are under natural selection at the individual level. Here, we use a theoretical approach to show that, in addition, in diploid organisms, enhancer strength (i.e., the ability of enhancers to activate transcription) may increase in a runaway process due to competition for expression between homologous enhancer alleles. These alleles may be viewed as self-promoting genetic elements, as they spread without conferring a benefit at the individual level. They gain a selective advantage by getting associated to better genetic backgrounds: deleterious mutations are more efficiently purged when linked to stronger enhancers. This process, which has been entirely overlooked so far, may help understand the observed overrepresentation of cis-acting regulatory changes in between-species phenotypic differences, and sheds a new light on investigating the contribution of gene expression evolution to adaptation. With the advent of new sequencing technologies, the evolution of gene expression regulation is becoming a subject of intensive research. In this paper, we report an entirely new phenomenon acting on the evolution of gene regulatory sequences. We show that in a small genomic region around genes there is a selection pressure to increase expression, such that stronger enhancers are favored. This leads to an open-ended escalation of enhancer strength. This outcome is not a particular case and we expect it to occur for all genes in nearly all eukaryotic diploid organisms. We also show that this escalation is not stopped by stabilizing selection on expression profiles. Indeed, regulators may coevolve to maintain optimal phenotypes despite the enhancer strength escalation. This widespread phenomenon can significantly shift our understanding of gene regulatory regions and opens a wide array of possible tests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Fyon
- UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS, Université Montpellier, Université P. Valéry, EPHE, Montpellier, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Aurélie Cailleau
- UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS, Université Montpellier, Université P. Valéry, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Thomas Lenormand
- UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS, Université Montpellier, Université P. Valéry, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|