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McCaw BA, Leonard AM, Stevenson TJ, Lancaster LT. A role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating female reproductive responses to temperature in a pest beetle. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38864655 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Many species are threatened by climate change and must rapidly respond to survive in changing environments. Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, can facilitate plastic responses by regulating gene expression in response to environmental cues. Understanding epigenetic responses is therefore essential for predicting species' ability to rapidly adapt in the context of global environmental change. Here, we investigated the functional significance of different methylation-associated cellular processes on temperature-dependent life history in seed beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius 1775 (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). We assessed changes under thermal stress in (1) DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt1 and Dnmt2) expression levels, (2) genome-wide methylation and (3) reproductive performance, with (2) and (3) following treatment with 3-aminobenzamide (3AB) and zebularine (Zeb) over two generations. These drugs are well-documented to alter DNA methylation across the tree of life. We found that Dnmt1 and Dnmt2 were expressed throughout the body in males and females, but were highly expressed in females compared with males and exhibited temperature dependence. However, whole-genome methylation did not significantly vary with temperature, and only marginally or inconclusively with drug treatment. Both 3AB and Zeb led to profound temperature-dependent shifts in female reproductive life history trade-off allocation, often increasing fitness compared with control beetles. Mismatch between magnitude of treatment effects on DNA methylation versus life history effects suggest potential of 3AB and Zeb to alter reproductive trade-offs via changes in DNA repair and recycling processes, rather than or in addition to (subtle) changes in DNA methylation. Together, our results suggest that epigenetic mechanisms relating to Dnmt expression, DNA repair and recycling pathways, and possibly DNA methylation, are strongly implicated in modulating insect life history trade-offs in response to temperature change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth A McCaw
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
| | - Aoife M Leonard
- Centre for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tyler J Stevenson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
| | - Lesley T Lancaster
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
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2
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Percelay S, Lahogue C, Billard JM, Freret T, Boulouard M, Bouet V. The 3-hit animal models of schizophrenia: Improving strategy to decipher and treat the disease? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 157:105526. [PMID: 38176632 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105526] [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] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex disease related to combination and interactions between genetic and environmental factors, with an epigenetic influence. After the development of the first mono-factorial animal models of schizophrenia (1-hit), that reproduced patterns of either positive, negative and/or cognitive symptoms, more complex models combining two factors (2-hit) have been developed to better fit with the multifactorial etiology of the disease. In the two past decades, a new way to design animal models of schizophrenia have emerged by adding a third hit (3-hit). This review aims to discuss the relevance of the risk factors chosen for the tuning of the 3-hit animal models, as well as the validities measurements and their contribution to schizophrenia understanding. We intended to establish a comprehensive overview to help in the choice of factors for the design of multiple-hit animal models of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solenn Percelay
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, INSERM, CYCERON, CHU Caen, COMETE UMR 1075, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Caroline Lahogue
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, INSERM, CYCERON, CHU Caen, COMETE UMR 1075, 14000 Caen, France.
| | - Jean-Marie Billard
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, INSERM, CYCERON, CHU Caen, COMETE UMR 1075, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Thomas Freret
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, INSERM, CYCERON, CHU Caen, COMETE UMR 1075, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Michel Boulouard
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, INSERM, CYCERON, CHU Caen, COMETE UMR 1075, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Valentine Bouet
- Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, INSERM, CYCERON, CHU Caen, COMETE UMR 1075, 14000 Caen, France.
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3
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van Oers K, van den Heuvel K, Sepers B. The Epigenetics of Animal Personality. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105194. [PMID: 37094740 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Animal personality, consistent individual differences in behaviour, is an important concept for understanding how individuals vary in how they cope with environmental challenges. In order to understand the evolutionary significance of animal personality, it is crucial to understand the underlying regulatory mechanisms. Epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation are hypothesised to play a major role in explaining variation in phenotypic changes in response to environmental alterations. Several characteristics of DNA methylation also align well with the concept of animal personality. In this review paper, we summarise the current literature on the role that molecular epigenetic mechanisms may have in explaining personality variation. We elaborate on the potential for epigenetic mechanisms to explain behavioural variation, behavioural development and temporal consistency in behaviour. We then suggest future routes for this emerging field and point to potential pitfalls that may be encountered. We conclude that a more inclusive approach is needed for studying the epigenetics of animal personality and that epigenetic mechanisms cannot be studied without considering the genetic background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Krista van den Heuvel
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Bernice Sepers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, the Netherlands
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4
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Venney CJ, Cayuela H, Rougeux C, Laporte M, Mérot C, Normandeau E, Leitwein M, Dorant Y, Præbel K, Kenchington E, Clément M, Sirois P, Bernatchez L. Genome-wide DNA methylation predicts environmentally driven life history variation in a marine fish. Evolution 2023; 77:186-198. [PMID: 36622671 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpac028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications are thought to be one of the molecular mechanisms involved in plastic adaptive responses to environmental variation. However, studies reporting associations between genome-wide epigenetic changes and habitat-specific variations in life history traits (e.g., lifespan, reproduction) are still scarce, likely due to the recent application of methylome resequencing methods to non-model species. In this study, we examined associations between whole genome DNA methylation and environmentally driven life history variation in 2 lineages of a marine fish, the capelin (Mallotus villosus), from North America and Europe. In both lineages, capelin harbor 2 contrasting life history tactics (demersal vs. beach-spawning). Performing whole genome and methylome sequencing, we showed that life history tactics are associated with epigenetic changes in both lineages, though the effect was stronger in European capelin. Genetic differentiation between the capelin harboring different life history tactics was negligible, but we found genome-wide methylation changes in both lineages. We identified 9,125 European and 199 North American differentially methylated regions (DMRs) due to life history. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis for both lineages revealed an excess of terms related to neural function. Our results suggest that environmental variation causes important epigenetic changes that are associated with contrasting life history tactics in lineages with divergent genetic backgrounds, with variable importance of genetic variation in driving epigenetic variation. Our study emphasizes the potential role of genome-wide epigenetic variation in adaptation to environmental variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare J Venney
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Hugo Cayuela
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Clément Rougeux
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Martin Laporte
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Claire Mérot
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Eric Normandeau
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Maëva Leitwein
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Yann Dorant
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Kim Præbel
- Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ellen Kenchington
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | - Marie Clément
- Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.,Labrador Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL, Canada
| | - Pascal Sirois
- Département des sciences fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, QC, Canada
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
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Munch SB, Rogers TL, Johnson BJ, Bhat U, Tsai CH. Rethinking the Prevalence and Relevance of Chaos in Ecology. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2022. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-111320-052920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Chaos was proposed in the 1970s as an alternative explanation for apparently noisy fluctuations in population size. Although readily demonstrated in models, the search for chaos in nature proved challenging and led many to conclude that chaos is either rare or nigh impossible to detect. However, in the intervening half-century, it has become clear that ecosystems are replete with the enabling conditions for chaos. Chaos has been repeatedly demonstrated under laboratory conditions and has been found in field data using updated detection methods. Together, these developments indicate that the apparent rarity of chaos was an artifact of data limitations and overreliance on low-dimensional population models. We invite readers to reevaluate the relevance of chaos in ecology, and we suggest that chaos is not as rare or undetectable as previously believed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan B. Munch
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Tanya L. Rogers
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Bethany J. Johnson
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Uttam Bhat
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Cheng-Han Tsai
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
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6
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Lamka GF, Harder AM, Sundaram M, Schwartz TS, Christie MR, DeWoody JA, Willoughby JR. Epigenetics in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.871791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic variation is often characterized by modifications to DNA that do not alter the underlying nucleotide sequence, but can influence behavior, morphology, and physiological phenotypes by affecting gene expression and protein synthesis. In this review, we consider how the emerging field of ecological epigenetics (eco-epi) aims to use epigenetic variation to explain ecologically relevant phenotypic variation and predict evolutionary trajectories that are important in conservation. Here, we focus on how epigenetic data have contributed to our understanding of wild populations, including plants, animals, and fungi. First, we identified published eco-epi literature and found that there was limited taxonomic and ecosystem coverage and that, by necessity of available technology, these studies have most often focused on the summarized epigenome rather than locus- or nucleotide-level epigenome characteristics. We also found that while many studies focused on adaptation and heritability of the epigenome, the field has thematically expanded into topics such as disease ecology and epigenome-based ageing of individuals. In the second part of our synthesis, we discuss key insights that have emerged from the epigenetic field broadly and use these to preview the path toward integration of epigenetics into ecology. Specifically, we suggest moving focus to nucleotide-level differences in the epigenome rather than whole-epigenome data and that we incorporate several facets of epigenome characterization (e.g., methylation, chromatin structure). Finally, we also suggest that incorporation of behavior and stress data will be critical to the process of fully integrating eco-epi data into ecology, conservation, and evolutionary biology.
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Heydenrych MJ, Saunders BJ, Bunce M, Jarman SN. Epigenetic Measurement of Key Vertebrate Population Biology Parameters. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.617376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The age, sex, and sexual maturity of individual animals are key parameters in assessing wild populations and informing conservation management strategies. These parameters represent the reproductive potential of a population and can indicate recovery rates or vulnerabilities. Natural populations of wild animals are difficult to study; logistically, economically, and due to the impacts of invasive biomonitoring. Genetic and epigenetic analyses offer a low impact, low cost, and information-rich alternative. As epigenetic mechanisms are intrinsically linked with both biological aging and reproductive processes, DNA methylation can be used as a suitable biomarker for population biology study. This review assesses published research utilizing DNA methylation analysis in relation to three key population parameters: age, sex, and sexual maturity. We review studies on wild vertebrates that investigate epigenetic age relationships, with successful age estimation assays designed for mammals, birds, and fish. For both determination of sex and identification of sexual maturity, very little has been explored regarding DNA methylation-based assays. Related research, however, confirms the links between DNA methylation and these processes. Future development of age estimation assays for underrepresented and key conservation taxa is suggested, as is the experimental development and design of DNA methylation-based assays for both sex and sexual maturity identification, further expanding the genomics toolkit for population biology studies.
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8
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Kruppa J, Sieg M, Richter G, Pohrt A. Estimands in epigenome-wide association studies. Clin Epigenetics 2021; 13:98. [PMID: 33926513 PMCID: PMC8086103 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-021-01083-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In DNA methylation analyses like epigenome-wide association studies, effects in differentially methylated CpG sites are assessed. Two kinds of outcomes can be used for statistical analysis: Beta-values and M-values. M-values follow a normal distribution and help to detect differentially methylated CpG sites. As biological effect measures, differences of M-values are more or less meaningless. Beta-values are of more interest since they can be interpreted directly as differences in percentage of DNA methylation at a given CpG site, but they have poor statistical properties. Different frameworks are proposed for reporting estimands in DNA methylation analysis, relying on Beta-values, M-values, or both. Results We present and discuss four possible approaches of achieving estimands in DNA methylation analysis. In addition, we present the usage of M-values or Beta-values in the context of bioinformatical pipelines, which often demand a predefined outcome. We show the dependencies between the differences in M-values to differences in Beta-values in two data simulations: a analysis with and without confounder effect. Without present confounder effects, M-values can be used for the statistical analysis and Beta-values statistics for the reporting. If confounder effects exist, we demonstrate the deviations and correct the effects by the intercept method. Finally, we demonstrate the theoretical problem on two large human genome-wide DNA methylation datasets to verify the results. Conclusions The usage of M-values in the analysis of DNA methylation data will produce effect estimates, which cannot be biologically interpreted. The parallel usage of Beta-value statistics ignores possible confounder effects and can therefore not be recommended. Hence, if the differences in Beta-values are the focus of the study, the intercept method is recommendable. Hyper- or hypomethylated CpG sites must then be carefully evaluated. If an exploratory analysis of possible CpG sites is the aim of the study, M-values can be used for inference. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13148-021-01083-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Kruppa
- Charité - University Medicine, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany. .,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Miriam Sieg
- Charité - University Medicine, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gesa Richter
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Periodontology and Synoptic Dentistry, Institute of Dental, Oral and Maxillary Medicine, Charité - University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne Pohrt
- Charité - University Medicine, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178, Berlin, Germany
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9
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Vigneaud J, Maury S. [Developmental plasticity in plants: an interaction between hormones and epigenetics at the meristem level]. Biol Aujourdhui 2020; 214:125-135. [PMID: 33357371 DOI: 10.1051/jbio/2020011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Plants are fixed organisms with continuous development throughout their life and great sensitivity to environmental variations. They react in this way by exhibiting large developmental phenotypic plasticity. This plasticity is partly controlled by (phyto)hormones, but recent studies also suggest the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms. It seems that these two factors may interact in a complex way and especially in the stem cells grouped together in meristems. The objective of this review is to present the current arguments about this interaction which would promote developmental plasticity. Three major points are thus addressed to justify this interaction between hormonal control and epigenetics (control at the chromatin level) for the developmental plasticity of plants: the arguments in favor of an effect of hormones on chromatin and vice versa, the arguments in favor of their roles on developmental plasticity and finally the arguments in favor of the central place of these interactions, the meristems. Various perspectives and applications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Vigneaud
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Ligneux et des Grandes Cultures (LBLGC), INRAe, Université d'Orléans, EA1207 USC1328, 45067 Orléans, France
| | - Stéphane Maury
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Ligneux et des Grandes Cultures (LBLGC), INRAe, Université d'Orléans, EA1207 USC1328, 45067 Orléans, France
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10
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McCaw BA, Stevenson TJ, Lancaster LT. Epigenetic Responses to Temperature and Climate. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1469-1480. [PMID: 32470117 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetics represents a widely accepted set of mechanisms by which organisms respond to the environment by regulating phenotypic plasticity and life history transitions. Understanding the effects of environmental control on phenotypes and fitness, via epigenetic mechanisms, is essential for understanding the ability of organisms to rapidly adapt to environmental change. This review highlights the significance of environmental temperature on epigenetic control of phenotypic variation, with the aim of furthering our understanding of how epigenetics might help or hinder species' adaptation to climate change. It outlines how epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and histone/chromatin modification, (1) respond to temperature and regulate thermal stress responses in different kingdoms of life, (2) regulate temperature-dependent expression of key developmental processes, sex determination, and seasonal phenotypes, (3) facilitate transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of thermal adaptation, (4) adapt populations to local and global climate gradients, and finally (5) facilitate in biological invasions across climate regions. Although the evidence points towards a conserved role of epigenetics in responding to temperature change, there appears to be an element of temperature- and species-specificity in the specific effects of temperature change on epigenetic modifications and resulting phenotypic responses. The review identifies areas of future research in epigenetic responses to environmental temperature change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth A McCaw
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Tyler J Stevenson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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11
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van Oers K, Sepers B, Sies W, Gawehns F, Verhoeven KJF, Laine VN. Epigenetics of Animal Personality: DNA Methylation Cannot Explain the Heritability of Exploratory Behavior in a Songbird. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1517-1530. [PMID: 33031487 PMCID: PMC7742756 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa138] [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] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The search for the hereditary mechanisms underlying quantitative traits traditionally focused on the identification of underlying genomic polymorphisms such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms. It has now become clear that epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, can consistently alter gene expression over multiple generations. It is unclear, however, if and how DNA methylation can stably be transferred from one generation to the next and can thereby be a component of the heritable variation of a trait. In this study, we explore whether DNA methylation responds to phenotypic selection using whole-genome and genome-wide bisulfite approaches. We assessed differential erythrocyte DNA methylation patterns between extreme personality types in the Great Tit (Parus major). For this, we used individuals from a four-generation artificial bi-directional selection experiment and siblings from eight F2 inter-cross families. We find no differentially methylated sites when comparing the selected personality lines, providing no evidence for the so-called epialleles associated with exploratory behavior. Using a pair-wise sibling design in the F2 intercrosses, we show that the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of individuals are mainly explained by family structure, indicating that the majority of variation in DNA methylation in CpG sites between individuals can be explained by genetic differences. Although we found some candidates explaining behavioral differences between F2 siblings, we could not confirm this with a whole-genome approach, thereby confirming the absence of epialleles in these F2 intercrosses. We conclude that while epigenetic variation may underlie phenotypic variation in behavioral traits, we were not able to find evidence that DNA methylation can explain heritable variation in personality traits in Great Tits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH, the Netherlands
| | - Bernice Sepers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands.,Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH, the Netherlands
| | - William Sies
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Fleur Gawehns
- Bioinformatics Unit, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Koen J F Verhoeven
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Veronika N Laine
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands
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12
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Deichmann U. The social construction of the social epigenome and the larger biological context. Epigenetics Chromatin 2020; 13:37. [PMID: 32967714 PMCID: PMC7510271 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-020-00360-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetics researchers in developmental, cell, and molecular biology greatly diverge in their understanding and definitions of epigenetics. In contrast, social epigeneticists, e.g., sociologists, scholars of STS, and behavioural scientists, share a focus and definition of epigenetics that is environmentally caused and trans-generationally inherited. This article demonstrates that this emphasis on the environment and on so-called Lamarckian inheritance, in addition to other factors, reflects an interdisciplinary power struggle with genetics, in which epigenetics appears to grant the social sciences a higher epistemic status. Social scientists' understanding of epigenetics, thus, appears in part to be socially constructed, i.e., the result of extra-scientific factors, such as social processes and the self-interest of the discipline. This article argues that social epigeneticists make far-reaching claims by selecting elements from research labelled epigenetics in biology while ignoring widely confirmed scientific facts in genetics and cell biology, such as the dependence of epigenetic marks on DNA sequence-specific events, or the lack of evidence for the lasting influence of the environment on epigenetic marks or the epigenome. Moreover, they treat as a given crucial questions that are far from resolved, such as what role, if any, DNA methylation plays in the complex biochemical system of regulating gene activity. The article also points out incorrect perceptions and media hypes among biological epigeneticists and calls attention to an apparent bias among scientific journals that prefer papers that promote transgenerational epigenetic inheritance over articles that critique it. The article concludes that while research labelled epigenetics contributes significantly to our knowledge about chromatin and the genome, it does not, as is often claimed, rehabilitate Lamarck or overthrow the fundamental biological principles of gene regulation, which are based on specific regulatory sequences of the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ute Deichmann
- Jacques Loeb Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer Sheva, 8410500, Israel.
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Abstract
The importance of tree genetic variability in the ability of forests to respond and adapt to environmental changes is crucial in forest management and conservation. Along with genetics, recent advances have highlighted “epigenetics” as an emerging and promising field of research for the understanding of tree phenotypic plasticity and adaptive responses. In this paper, we review recent advances in this emerging field and their potential applications for tree researchers and breeders, as well as for forest managers. First, we present the basics of epigenetics in plants before discussing its potential for trees. We then propose a bibliometric and overview of the literature on epigenetics in trees, including recent advances on tree priming. Lastly, we outline the promises of epigenetics for forest research and management, along with current gaps and future challenges. Research in epigenetics could use highly diverse paths to help forests adapt to global change by eliciting different innovative silvicultural approaches for natural- and artificial-based forest management.
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