1
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Zamani-Dahaj SA, Burnetti A, Day TC, Yunker PJ, Ratcliff WC, Herron MD. Spontaneous Emergence of Multicellular Heritability. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1635. [PMID: 37628687 PMCID: PMC10454505 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081635] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The major transitions in evolution include events and processes that result in the emergence of new levels of biological individuality. For collectives to undergo Darwinian evolution, their traits must be heritable, but the emergence of higher-level heritability is poorly understood and has long been considered a stumbling block for nascent evolutionary transitions. Using analytical models, synthetic biology, and biologically-informed simulations, we explored the emergence of trait heritability during the evolution of multicellularity. Prior work on the evolution of multicellularity has asserted that substantial collective-level trait heritability either emerges only late in the transition or requires some evolutionary change subsequent to the formation of clonal multicellular groups. In a prior analytical model, we showed that collective-level heritability not only exists but is usually more heritable than the underlying cell-level trait upon which it is based, as soon as multicellular groups form. Here, we show that key assumptions and predictions of that model are borne out in a real engineered biological system, with important implications for the emergence of collective-level heritability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Alireza Zamani-Dahaj
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA;
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Physics, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (T.C.D.); (P.J.Y.)
| | - Anthony Burnetti
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (A.B.); (M.D.H.)
| | - Thomas C. Day
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Physics, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (T.C.D.); (P.J.Y.)
| | - Peter J. Yunker
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Physics, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (T.C.D.); (P.J.Y.)
| | - William C. Ratcliff
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (A.B.); (M.D.H.)
| | - Matthew D. Herron
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (A.B.); (M.D.H.)
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2
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Chavhan Y, Dey S, Lind PA. Bacteria evolve macroscopic multicellularity by the genetic assimilation of phenotypically plastic cell clustering. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3555. [PMID: 37322016 PMCID: PMC10272148 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39320-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary transition from unicellularity to multicellularity was a key innovation in the history of life. Experimental evolution is an important tool to study the formation of undifferentiated cellular clusters, the likely first step of this transition. Although multicellularity first evolved in bacteria, previous experimental evolution research has primarily used eukaryotes. Moreover, it focuses on mutationally driven (and not environmentally induced) phenotypes. Here we show that both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria exhibit phenotypically plastic (i.e., environmentally induced) cell clustering. Under high salinity, they form elongated clusters of ~ 2 cm. However, under habitual salinity, the clusters disintegrate and grow planktonically. We used experimental evolution with Escherichia coli to show that such clustering can be assimilated genetically: the evolved bacteria inherently grow as macroscopic multicellular clusters, even without environmental induction. Highly parallel mutations in genes linked to cell wall assembly formed the genomic basis of assimilated multicellularity. While the wildtype also showed cell shape plasticity across high versus low salinity, it was either assimilated or reversed after evolution. Interestingly, a single mutation could genetically assimilate multicellularity by modulating plasticity at multiple levels of organization. Taken together, we show that phenotypic plasticity can prime bacteria for evolving undifferentiated macroscopic multicellularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yashraj Chavhan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Sutirth Dey
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, Pune, India
| | - Peter A Lind
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
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3
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Isaksson H, Brännström Å, Libby E. Minor variations in multicellular life cycles have major effects on adaptation. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010698. [PMID: 37083675 PMCID: PMC10156057 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Multicellularity has evolved several independent times over the past hundreds of millions of years and given rise to a wide diversity of complex life. Recent studies have found that large differences in the fundamental structure of early multicellular life cycles can affect fitness and influence multicellular adaptation. Yet, there is an underlying assumption that at some scale or categorization multicellular life cycles are similar in terms of their adaptive potential. Here, we consider this possibility by exploring adaptation in a class of simple multicellular life cycles of filamentous organisms that only differ in one respect, how many daughter filaments are produced. We use mathematical models and evolutionary simulations to show that despite the similarities, qualitatively different mutations fix. In particular, we find that mutations with a tradeoff between cell growth and group survival, i.e. "selfish" or "altruistic" traits, spread differently. Specifically, altruistic mutations more readily spread in life cycles that produce few daughters while in life cycles producing many daughters either type of mutation can spread depending on the environment. Our results show that subtle changes in multicellular life cycles can fundamentally alter adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Isaksson
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- IceLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Åke Brännström
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- IceLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Advancing Systems Analysis Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
- Complexity Science and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami, Japan
| | - Eric Libby
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- IceLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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4
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Rusin LY. Evolution of homology: From archetype towards a holistic concept of cell type. J Morphol 2023; 284:e21569. [PMID: 36789784 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
The concept of homology lies in the heart of comparative biological science. The distinction between homology as structure and analogy as function has shaped the evolutionary paradigm for a century and formed the axis of comparative anatomy and embryology, which accept the identity of structure as a ground measure of relatedness. The advent of single-cell genomics overturned the classical view of cell homology by establishing a backbone regulatory identity of cell types, the basic biological units bridging the molecular and phenotypic dimensions, to reveal that the cell is the most flexible unit of living matter and that many approaches of classical biology need to be revised to understand evolution and diversity at the cellular level. The emerging theory of cell types explicitly decouples cell identity from phenotype, essentially allowing for the divergence of evolutionarily related morphotypes beyond recognition, as well as it decouples ontogenetic cell lineage from cell-type phylogeny, whereby explicating that cell types can share common descent regardless of their structure, function or developmental origin. The article succinctly summarizes current progress and opinion in this field and formulates a more generalistic view of biological cell types as avatars, transient or terminal cell states deployed in a continuum of states by the developmental programme of one and the same omnipotent cell, capable of changing or combining identities with distinct evolutionary histories or inventing ad hoc identities that never existed in evolution or development. It highlights how the new logic grounded in the regulatory nature of cell identity transforms the concepts of cell homology and phenotypic stability, suggesting that cellular evolution is inherently and massively network-like, with one-to-one homologies being rather uncommon and restricted to shallower levels of the animal tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonid Y Rusin
- Laboratory for Mathematic Methods and Models in Bioinformatics, Institute for Information Transmission Problems (Kharkevich Institute), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- EvoGenome Analytics LLC, Odintsovo, Moscow Region, Russia
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5
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Mizuno K, Maree M, Nagamura T, Koga A, Hirayama S, Furukawa S, Tanaka K, Morikawa K. Novel multicellular prokaryote discovered next to an underground stream. eLife 2022; 11:71920. [PMID: 36217817 PMCID: PMC9555858 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A diversity of prokaryotes currently exhibit multicellularity with different generation mechanisms in a variety of contexts of ecology on Earth. In the present study, we report a new type of multicellular bacterium, HS-3, isolated from an underground stream. HS-3 self-organizes its filamentous cells into a layer-structured colony with the properties of a nematic liquid crystal. After maturation, the colony starts to form a semi-closed sphere accommodating clusters of coccobacillus daughter cells and selectively releases them upon contact with water. This is the first report that shows that a liquid-crystal status of cells can support the prokaryotic multicellular behavior. Importantly, the observed behavior of HS-3 suggests that the recurrent intermittent exposure of colonies to water flow in the cave might have been the ecological context that cultivated the evolutionary transition from unicellular to multicellular life. This is the new extant model that underpins theories regarding a role of ecological context in the emergence of multicellularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouhei Mizuno
- Division of International Affairs, Headquaters, National Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Creative Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Mais Maree
- Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Nagamura
- Department of Creative Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Akihiro Koga
- Department of Creative Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Satoru Hirayama
- Department of Food Bioscience and Biotechnology, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan.,Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Soichi Furukawa
- Department of Food Bioscience and Biotechnology, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Kenji Tanaka
- Department of Biological and Environmental Chemistry, School of Humanity-Oriented Science and Engineering, Kindai University, Iizuka, Japan
| | - Kazuya Morikawa
- Division of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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6
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Bourrat P, Doulcier G, Rose CJ, Rainey PB, Hammerschmidt K. Tradeoff breaking as model of evolutionary transitions in individuality and the limits of the fitness-decoupling metaphor. eLife 2022; 11:73715. [PMID: 35975712 PMCID: PMC9470156 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73715] [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] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETIs) involve the formation of Darwinian collectives from Darwinian particles. The transition from cells to multicellular life is a prime example. During an ETI, collectives become units of selection in their own right. However, the underlying processes are poorly understood. One observation used to identify the completion of an ETI is an increase in collective-level performance accompanied by a decrease in particle-level performance, for example measured by growth rate. This seemingly counterintuitive dynamic has been referred to as fitness decoupling and has been used to interpret both models and experimental data. Extending and unifying results from the literature, we show that fitness of particles and collectives can never decouple because calculations of fitness performed over appropriate and equivalent time intervals are necessarily the same provided the population reaches a stable collective size distribution. By way of solution, we draw attention to the value of mechanistic approaches that emphasise traits, and tradeoffs among traits, as opposed to fitness. This trait-based approach is sufficient to capture dynamics that underpin evolutionary transitions. In addition, drawing upon both experimental and theoretical studies, we show that while early stages of transitions might often involve tradeoffs among particle traits, later—and critical—stages are likely to involve the rupture of such tradeoffs. Thus, when observed in the context of ETIs, tradeoff-breaking events stand as a useful marker of these transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Caroline J Rose
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Paul B Rainey
- Department of Microbial Population Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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7
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Bonforti A, Solé R. Unicellular-multicellular evolutionary branching driven by resource limitations. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220018. [PMID: 35642429 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicellular life forms have evolved many times on our planet, suggesting that this is a common evolutionary innovation. Multiple advantages have been proposed for the emergence of multicellularity (MC). In this paper, we address the problem of how the first precondition for MC, namely 'stay together', might have occurred under spatially limited resources exploited by a population of unicellular agents. Using a minimal model of evolved cell-cell adhesion among growing and dividing cells that exploit a localized resource with a given size, we show that a transition occurs at a critical resource size separating a phase of evolved multicellular aggregates from a phase where unicellularity (UC) is favoured. The two phases are separated by an intermediate domain where both UC and MC can be selected by evolution. This model provides a minimal approach to the early stages that were required to transition from individuality to cohesive groups of cells associated with a physical cooperative effect: when resources are present only in a localized portion of the habitat, MC is a desirable property as it helps cells to keep close to the available local nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Bonforti
- ICREA-Complex Systems Lab, UPF-PRBB, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC-UPF, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricard Solé
- ICREA-Complex Systems Lab, UPF-PRBB, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC-UPF, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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8
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Moreno MA, Ofria C. Exploring Evolved Multicellular Life Histories in a Open-Ended Digital Evolution System. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.750837] [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
Evolutionary transitions occur when previously-independent replicating entities unite to form more complex individuals. Such transitions have profoundly shaped natural evolutionary history and occur in two forms: fraternal transitions involve lower-level entities that are kin (e.g., transitions to multicellularity or to eusocial colonies), while egalitarian transitions involve unrelated individuals (e.g., the origins of mitochondria). The necessary conditions and evolutionary mechanisms for these transitions to arise continue to be fruitful targets of scientific interest. Here, we examine a range of fraternal transitions in populations of open-ended self-replicating computer programs. These digital cells were allowed to form and replicate kin groups by selectively adjoining or expelling daughter cells. The capability to recognize kin-group membership enabled preferential communication and cooperation between cells. We repeatedly observed group-level traits that are characteristic of a fraternal transition. These included reproductive division of labor, resource sharing within kin groups, resource investment in offspring groups, asymmetrical behaviors mediated by messaging, morphological patterning, and adaptive apoptosis. We report eight case studies from replicates where transitions occurred and explore the diverse range of adaptive evolved multicellular strategies.
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9
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Kattner AA. What makes tics tick? Insights into Tourette syndrome. Biomed J 2022; 45:219-226. [PMID: 35460927 PMCID: PMC9250088 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2022.04.004] [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] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This issue of Biomedical Journal provides the reader with articles concerning the latest understanding of Tourette syndrome (TS), the relation to genetic predisposition, defects in the dopaminergic system, and related comorbidities which further complications like sleep disruption. Treatment approaches for TS, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and developmental coordination disorder are discussed. The second section of this issue offers insights into inside out integrin activation and its link to T cell activation, demonstrates how polarity in immune cells allows adoption to specialized functions, and describes the endosomal signaling of internalized T cell receptors (TCRs). The link between mutations in TCR signaling and immunodeficiencies is elucidated, as well as the interactions of thymocyte-expressed molecule involved in selection in T cell development. Additionally, we learn about a potential biomarker for colorectal cancer, screening tools for determining frailty in older adults, surgical approaches in spinal metastases, the influence of autophagy on mating behavior, and the effect of nitrite administration on SNARE proteins associated with insulin secretion. Finally, parameters for surgery in breast cancer are discussed, as well as gender and age dependent pain perception in a lysosomal storage disease, and the use of laser meridian massage in opioid use disorder. Three letters complement this issue, one concerning neuroimaging in pediatric COVID-19 patients, and two discussing the role of cancer antigen-125 and renal impairment in ovarian cancer patients.
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10
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Tverskoi D, Gavrilets S. The evolution of germ-soma specialization under different genetic and environmental effects. J Theor Biol 2022; 534:110964. [PMID: 34838795 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Division of labor exists at different levels of biological organization - from cell colonies to human societies. One of the simplest examples of the division of labor in multicellular organisms is germ-soma specialization, which plays a key role in the evolution of organismal complexity. Here we formulate and study a general mathematical model exploring the emergence of germ-soma specialization in colonies of cells. We consider a finite population of colonies competing for resources. Colonies are of the same size and are composed by asexually reproducing haploid cells. Each cell can contribute to activity and fecundity of the colony, these contributions are traded-off. We assume that all cells within a colony are genetically identical but gene effects on fecundity and activity are influenced by variation in the microenvironment experienced by individual cells. Through analytical theory and evolutionary agent-based modeling we show that the shape of the trade-off relation between somatic and reproductive functions, the type and extent of variation in within-colony microenvironment, and, in some cases, the number of genes involved, are important predictors of the extent of germ-soma specialization. Specifically, increasing convexity of the trade-off relation, the number of different environmental gradients acting within a colony, and the number of genes (in the case of random microenvironmental effects) promote the emergence of germ-soma specialization. Overall our results contribute towards a better understanding of the role of genetic, environmental, and microenvironmental factors in the evolution of germ-soma specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Tverskoi
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; International Center of Decision Choice and Analysis, Higher School of Economics, Moscow 101000, Russian Federation.
| | - Sergey Gavrilets
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
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11
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Brindangnanam P, Sawant AR, Prashanth K, Coumar MS. Bacterial effluxome as a barrier against antimicrobial agents: structural biology aspects and drug targeting. Tissue Barriers 2021; 10:2013695. [PMID: 34957912 DOI: 10.1080/21688370.2021.2013695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is fast becoming a medical crisis affecting the entire global population. The bacterial membrane is the first layer of defense for the bacteria against antimicrobial agents (AMA), specifically transporters in the membrane efflux these AMA out of the bacteria and plays a significant role in the AMR development. Understanding the structure and the functions of these efflux transporters is essential to overcome AMR. This review discusses efflux transporters (primary, secondary, and tripartite), their domain architectures, substrate specificities, and efflux pump inhibitors (EPI). Special emphasis on nosocomial ESKAPEE (Enterococcus faecium., Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp. and Escherichia coli) pathogens, their multidrug efflux targets and inhibitors are discussed. Deep knowledge about the functioning of efflux pumps and their structural aspects will open up opportunities for developing new EPI, which could be used along with AMA as combination therapy to overcome the emerging AMR crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pownraj Brindangnanam
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India
| | - Ajit Ramesh Sawant
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India
| | - K Prashanth
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India
| | - Mohane Selvaraj Coumar
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India
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12
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Isaksson H, Conlin PL, Kerr B, Ratcliff WC, Libby E. The Consequences of Budding versus Binary Fission on Adaptation and Aging in Primitive Multicellularity. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:661. [PMID: 33924996 PMCID: PMC8145350 DOI: 10.3390/genes12050661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Early multicellular organisms must gain adaptations to outcompete their unicellular ancestors, as well as other multicellular lineages. The tempo and mode of multicellular adaptation is influenced by many factors including the traits of individual cells. We consider how a fundamental aspect of cells, whether they reproduce via binary fission or budding, can affect the rate of adaptation in primitive multicellularity. We use mathematical models to study the spread of beneficial, growth rate mutations in unicellular populations and populations of multicellular filaments reproducing via binary fission or budding. Comparing populations once they reach carrying capacity, we find that the spread of mutations in multicellular budding populations is qualitatively distinct from the other populations and in general slower. Since budding and binary fission distribute age-accumulated damage differently, we consider the effects of cellular senescence. When growth rate decreases with cell age, we find that beneficial mutations can spread significantly faster in a multicellular budding population than its corresponding unicellular population or a population reproducing via binary fission. Our results demonstrate that basic aspects of the cell cycle can give rise to different rates of adaptation in multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Isaksson
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden;
- Integrated Science Lab, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Peter L. Conlin
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (P.L.C.); (W.C.R.)
| | - Ben Kerr
- Department of Biology, BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA;
| | - William C. Ratcliff
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (P.L.C.); (W.C.R.)
| | - Eric Libby
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden;
- Integrated Science Lab, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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13
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Patthy L. Exon Shuffling Played a Decisive Role in the Evolution of the Genetic Toolkit for the Multicellular Body Plan of Metazoa. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:382. [PMID: 33800339 PMCID: PMC8001218 DOI: 10.3390/genes12030382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Division of labor and establishment of the spatial pattern of different cell types of multicellular organisms require cell type-specific transcription factor modules that control cellular phenotypes and proteins that mediate the interactions of cells with other cells. Recent studies indicate that, although constituent protein domains of numerous components of the genetic toolkit of the multicellular body plan of Metazoa were present in the unicellular ancestor of animals, the repertoire of multidomain proteins that are indispensable for the arrangement of distinct body parts in a reproducible manner evolved only in Metazoa. We have shown that the majority of the multidomain proteins involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions of Metazoa have been assembled by exon shuffling, but there is no evidence for a similar role of exon shuffling in the evolution of proteins of metazoan transcription factor modules. A possible explanation for this difference in the intracellular and intercellular toolkits is that evolution of the transcription factor modules preceded the burst of exon shuffling that led to the creation of the proteins controlling spatial patterning in Metazoa. This explanation is in harmony with the temporal-to-spatial transition hypothesis of multicellularity that proposes that cell differentiation may have predated spatial segregation of cell types in animal ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laszlo Patthy
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
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14
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Ros-Rocher N, Pérez-Posada A, Leger MM, Ruiz-Trillo I. The origin of animals: an ancestral reconstruction of the unicellular-to-multicellular transition. Open Biol 2021; 11:200359. [PMID: 33622103 PMCID: PMC8061703 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
How animals evolved from a single-celled ancestor, transitioning from a unicellular lifestyle to a coordinated multicellular entity, remains a fascinating question. Key events in this transition involved the emergence of processes related to cell adhesion, cell–cell communication and gene regulation. To understand how these capacities evolved, we need to reconstruct the features of both the last common multicellular ancestor of animals and the last unicellular ancestor of animals. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the characterization of these ancestors, inferred by comparative genomic analyses between the earliest branching animals and those radiating later, and between animals and their closest unicellular relatives. We also provide an updated hypothesis regarding the transition to animal multicellularity, which was likely gradual and involved the use of gene regulatory mechanisms in the emergence of early developmental and morphogenetic plans. Finally, we discuss some new avenues of research that will complement these studies in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Ros-Rocher
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alberto Pérez-Posada
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC-Universidad Pablo de Olavide), Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain
| | - Michelle M Leger
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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15
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Yanni D, Jacobeen S, Márquez-Zacarías P, Weitz JS, Ratcliff WC, Yunker PJ. Topological constraints in early multicellularity favor reproductive division of labor. eLife 2020; 9:e54348. [PMID: 32940598 PMCID: PMC7609046 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive division of labor (e.g. germ-soma specialization) is a hallmark of the evolution of multicellularity, signifying the emergence of a new type of individual and facilitating the evolution of increased organismal complexity. A large body of work from evolutionary biology, economics, and ecology has shown that specialization is beneficial when further division of labor produces an accelerating increase in absolute productivity (i.e. productivity is a convex function of specialization). Here we show that reproductive specialization is qualitatively different from classical models of resource sharing, and can evolve even when the benefits of specialization are saturating (i.e. productivity is a concave function of specialization). Through analytical theory and evolutionary individual-based simulations, we demonstrate that reproductive specialization is strongly favored in sparse networks of cellular interactions that reflect the morphology of early, simple multicellular organisms, highlighting the importance of restricted social interactions in the evolution of reproductive specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Yanni
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Shane Jacobeen
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Pedro Márquez-Zacarías
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Joshua S Weitz
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - William C Ratcliff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Peter J Yunker
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
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16
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Black AJ, Bourrat P, Rainey PB. Ecological scaffolding and the evolution of individuality. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:426-436. [PMID: 32042121 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-1086-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary transitions in individuality are central to the emergence of biological complexity. Recent experiments provide glimpses of processes underpinning the transition from single cells to multicellular life and draw attention to the critical role of ecology. Here, we emphasize this ecological dimension and argue that its current absence from theoretical frameworks hampers development of general explanatory solutions. Using mechanistic mathematical models, we show how a minimal ecological structure comprising patchily distributed resources and between-patch dispersal can scaffold Darwinian-like properties on collectives of cells. This scaffolding causes cells to participate directly in the process of evolution by natural selection as if they were members of multicellular collectives, with collectives participating in a death-birth process arising from the interplay between the timing of dispersal events and the rate of resource use by cells. When this timescale is sufficiently long and new collectives are founded by single cells, collectives experience conditions that favour evolution of a reproductive division of labour. Together our simple model makes explicit key events in the major evolutionary transition to multicellularity. It also makes predictions concerning the life history of certain pathogens and serves as an ecological recipe for experimental realization of evolutionary transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Black
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Pierrick Bourrat
- Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Philosophy & Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Paul B Rainey
- Department of Microbial Population Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany. .,Laboratoire de Génétique de l'Evolution, Chemistry, Biology and Innovation (CBI) UMR8231, ESPCI Paris, CNRS, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
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17
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Niculescu VF. aCLS cancers: Genomic and epigenetic changes transform the cell of origin of cancer into a tumorigenic pathogen of unicellular organization and lifestyle. Gene 2020; 726:144174. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.144174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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18
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Moreira BP, Oliveira PF, Alves MG. Molecular Mechanisms Controlled by mTOR in Male Reproductive System. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20071633. [PMID: 30986927 PMCID: PMC6480367 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20071633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has emerged as a master integrator of upstream inputs, such as amino acids, growth factors and insulin availability, energy status and many others. The integration of these signals promotes a response through several downstream effectors that regulate protein synthesis, glucose metabolism and cytoskeleton organization, among others. All these biological processes are essential for male fertility, thus it is not surprising that novel molecular mechanisms controlled by mTOR in the male reproductive tract have been described. Indeed, since the first clinical evidence showed that men taking rapamycin were infertile, several studies have evidenced distinct roles for mTOR in spermatogenesis. However, there is a lack of consensus whether mTOR inhibition, which remains the experimental approach that originates the majority of available data, has a negative or positive impact on male reproductive health. Herein we discuss the latest findings concerning mTOR activity in testes, particularly its role on spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) maintenance and differentiation, as well as in the physiology of Sertoli cells (SCs), responsible for blood–testis barrier maintenance/restructuring and the nutritional support of spermatogenesis. Taken together, these recent advances highlight a crucial role for mTOR in determining the male reproductive potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno P Moreira
- Department of Microscopy, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS) and Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Pedro F Oliveira
- Department of Microscopy, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS) and Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Marco G Alves
- Department of Microscopy, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS) and Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB), University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
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19
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Rebolleda-Gómez M, Travisano M. Adaptation, chance, and history in experimental evolution reversals to unicellularity. Evolution 2018; 73:73-83. [PMID: 30520011 PMCID: PMC6590667 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Evolution is often deemed irreversible. The evolution of complex traits that require many mutations makes their reversal unlikely. Even in simpler traits, reversals might become less likely as neutral or beneficial mutations, with deleterious effects in the ancestral context, become fixed in the novel background. This is especially true in changes that involve large reorganizations of the organism and its interactions with the environment. The evolution of multicellularity involves the reorganization of previously autonomous cells into a more complex organism; despite the complexity of this change, single cells have repeatedly evolved from multicellular ancestors. These repeated reversals to unicellularity undermine the generality of Dollo's law. In this article, we evaluated the dynamics of reversals to unicellularity from recently evolved multicellular phenotypes of the brewers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisae. Even though multicellularity in this system evolved recently, it involves the evolution of new levels of selection. Strong selective pressures against multicellularity lead to rapid reversibility to single cells in all of our replicate lines, whereas counterselection favoring multicellularity led to minimal reductions to the rates of reversal. History and chance played an important role in the tempo and mode of reversibility, highlighting the interplay of deterministic and stochastic events in evolutionary reversals.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Rebolleda-Gómez
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108.,Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455.,Current Address: Biology Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260
| | - Michael Travisano
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108.,Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455.,The BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108
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20
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Rebolleda-Gómez M, Travisano M. The Cost of Being Big: Local Competition, Importance of Dispersal, and Experimental Evolution of Reversal to Unicellularity. Am Nat 2018; 192:731-744. [PMID: 30444659 DOI: 10.1086/700095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Multicellularity provides multiple benefits. Nonetheless, unicellularity is ubiquitous, and there have been multiple cases of evolutionary reversal to a unicellular organization. In this article, we explore some of the costs of multicellularity as well as the possibility and dynamics of evolutionary reversals to unicellularity. We hypothesize that recently evolved multicellular organisms would face a high cost of increased competition for local resources in spatially structured environments because of larger size and increased cell densities. To test this hypothesis we conducted competition assays, computer simulations, and selection experiments using isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that recently evolved multicellularity. In well-mixed environments, multicellular isolates had lower growth rates relative to their unicellular ancestor because of limitations of space and resource acquisition. In structured environments with localized resources, cells in both multicellular and unicellular isolates grew at a similar rate. Despite similar growth, higher local density of cells in multicellular groups led to increased competition and higher fitness costs in spatially structured environments. In structured environments all of the multicellular isolates rapidly evolved a predominantly unicellular life cycle, while in well-mixed environments reversal was more gradual. Taken together, these results suggest that a lack of dispersal, leading to higher local competition, might have been one of the main constraints in the evolution of early multicellular forms.
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21
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22
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Ratcliff WC, Herron M, Conlin PL, Libby E. Nascent life cycles and the emergence of higher-level individuality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0420. [PMID: 29061893 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETIs) occur when formerly autonomous organisms evolve to become parts of a new, 'higher-level' organism. One of the first major hurdles that must be overcome during an ETI is the emergence of Darwinian evolvability in the higher-level entity (e.g. a multicellular group), and the loss of Darwinian autonomy in the lower-level units (e.g. individual cells). Here, we examine how simple higher-level life cycles are a key innovation during an ETI, allowing this transfer of fitness to occur 'for free'. Specifically, we show how novel life cycles can arise and lead to the origin of higher-level individuals by (i) mitigating conflicts between levels of selection, (ii) engendering the expression of heritable higher-level traits and (iii) allowing selection to efficiently act on these emergent higher-level traits. Further, we compute how canonical early life cycles vary in their ability to fix beneficial mutations via mathematical modelling. Life cycles that lack a persistent lower-level stage and develop clonally are far more likely to fix 'ratcheting' mutations that limit evolutionary reversion to the pre-ETI state. By stabilizing the fragile first steps of an evolutionary transition in individuality, nascent higher-level life cycles may play a crucial role in the origin of complex life.This article is part of the themed issue 'Process and pattern in innovations from cells to societies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- William C Ratcliff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Matthew Herron
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Peter L Conlin
- Department of Biology and BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Eric Libby
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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23
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Radzvilavicius AL, Blackstone NW. The evolution of individuality revisited. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1620-1633. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Neil W. Blackstone
- Department of Biological Sciences; Northern Illinois University; DeKalb IL 60115 U.S.A
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24
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Libby E, Conlin PL, Kerr B, Ratcliff WC. Stabilizing multicellularity through ratcheting. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0444. [PMID: 27431522 PMCID: PMC4958938 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary transition to multicellularity probably began with the formation of simple undifferentiated cellular groups. Such groups evolve readily in diverse lineages of extant unicellular taxa, suggesting that there are few genetic barriers to this first key step. This may act as a double-edged sword: labile transitions between unicellular and multicellular states may facilitate the evolution of simple multicellularity, but reversion to a unicellular state may inhibit the evolution of increased complexity. In this paper, we examine how multicellular adaptations can act as evolutionary ‘ratchets’, limiting the potential for reversion to unicellularity. We consider a nascent multicellular lineage growing in an environment that varies between favouring multicellularity and favouring unicellularity. The first type of ratcheting mutations increase cell-level fitness in a multicellular context but are costly in a single-celled context, reducing the fitness of revertants. The second type of ratcheting mutations directly decrease the probability that a mutation will result in reversion (either as a pleiotropic consequence or via direct modification of switch rates). We show that both types of ratcheting mutations act to stabilize the multicellular state. We also identify synergistic effects between the two types of ratcheting mutations in which the presence of one creates the selective conditions favouring the other. Ratcheting mutations may play a key role in diverse evolutionary transitions in individuality, sustaining selection on the new higher-level organism by constraining evolutionary reversion. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The major synthetic evolutionary transitions’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Libby
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Peter L Conlin
- Department of Biology and BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Ben Kerr
- Department of Biology and BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - William C Ratcliff
- Department of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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25
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Tan ZX, Cheong KH. Nomadic-colonial life strategies enable paradoxical survival and growth despite habitat destruction. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28084993 PMCID: PMC5319843 DOI: 10.7554/elife.21673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms often exhibit behavioral or phenotypic diversity to improve population fitness in the face of environmental variability. When each behavior or phenotype is individually maladaptive, alternating between these losing strategies can counter-intuitively result in population persistence-an outcome similar to the Parrondo's paradox. Instead of the capital or history dependence that characterize traditional Parrondo games, most ecological models which exhibit such paradoxical behavior depend on the presence of exogenous environmental variation. Here we present a population model that exhibits Parrondo's paradox through capital and history-dependent dynamics. Two sub-populations comprise our model: nomads, who live independently without competition or cooperation, and colonists, who engage in competition, cooperation, and long-term habitat destruction. Nomads and colonists may alternate behaviors in response to changes in the colonial habitat. Even when nomadism and colonialism individually lead to extinction, switching between these strategies at the appropriate moments can paradoxically enable both population persistence and long-term growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kang Hao Cheong
- Engineering Cluster, Singapore Institute of Technology, , Singapore
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26
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Abstract
Studies in mammals and Drosophila have demonstrated the existence and significance of secreted factors involved in communication between distal organs. In this review, primarily focusing on Drosophila, we examine the known interorgan communication factors and their functions, physiological inducers, and integration in regulating physiology. Moreover, we describe how organ-sensing screens in Drosophila can systematically identify novel conserved interorgan communication factors. Finally, we discuss how interorgan communication enabled and evolved as a result of specialization of organs. Together, we anticipate that future studies will establish a model for metazoan interorgan communication network (ICN) and how it is deregulated in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilia A Droujinine
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; ,
| | - Norbert Perrimon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; ,
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
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27
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Chilling out: the evolution and diversification of psychrophilic algae with a focus on Chlamydomonadales. Polar Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-016-2045-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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28
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Durand P, Sym S, Michod R. Programmed Cell Death and Complexity in Microbial Systems. Curr Biol 2016; 26:R587-R593. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.05.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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29
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Smith DR, Keeling PJ. Protists and the Wild, Wild West of Gene Expression: New Frontiers, Lawlessness, and Misfits. Annu Rev Microbiol 2016; 70:161-78. [PMID: 27359218 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-102215-095448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The DNA double helix has been called one of life's most elegant structures, largely because of its universality, simplicity, and symmetry. The expression of information encoded within DNA, however, can be far from simple or symmetric and is sometimes surprisingly variable, convoluted, and wantonly inefficient. Although exceptions to the rules exist in certain model systems, the true extent to which life has stretched the limits of gene expression is made clear by nonmodel systems, particularly protists (microbial eukaryotes). The nuclear and organelle genomes of protists are subject to the most tangled forms of gene expression yet identified. The complicated and extravagant picture of the underlying genetics of eukaryotic microbial life changes how we think about the flow of genetic information and the evolutionary processes shaping it. Here, we discuss the origins, diversity, and growing interest in noncanonical protist gene expression and its relationship to genomic architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Roy Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7;
| | - Patrick J Keeling
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4;
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30
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Kaveh K, Veller C, Nowak MA. Games of multicellularity. J Theor Biol 2016; 403:143-158. [PMID: 27179461 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.04.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary game dynamics are often studied in the context of different population structures. Here we propose a new population structure that is inspired by simple multicellular life forms. In our model, cells reproduce but can stay together after reproduction. They reach complexes of a certain size, n, before producing single cells again. The cells within a complex derive payoff from an evolutionary game by interacting with each other. The reproductive rate of cells is proportional to their payoff. We consider all two-strategy games. We study deterministic evolutionary dynamics with mutations, and derive exact conditions for selection to favor one strategy over another. Our main result has the same symmetry as the well-known sigma condition, which has been proven for stochastic game dynamics and weak selection. For a maximum complex size of n=2 our result holds for any intensity of selection. For n≥3 it holds for weak selection. As specific examples we study the prisoner's dilemma and hawk-dove games. Our model advances theoretical work on multicellularity by allowing for frequency-dependent interactions within groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamran Kaveh
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Carl Veller
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Martin A Nowak
- Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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31
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Stoeger T, Battich N, Pelkmans L. Passive Noise Filtering by Cellular Compartmentalization. Cell 2016; 164:1151-1161. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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32
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Maliet O, Shelton DE, Michod RE. A model for the origin of group reproduction during the evolutionary transition to multicellularity. Biol Lett 2015; 11:20150157. [PMID: 26063749 PMCID: PMC4528466 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
During the evolution of multicellular organisms, the unit of selection and adaptation, the individual, changes from the single cell to the multicellular group. To become individuals, groups must evolve a group life cycle in which groups reproduce other groups. Investigations into the origin of group reproduction have faced a chicken-and-egg problem: traits related to reproduction at the group level often appear both to be a result of and a prerequisite for natural selection at the group level. With a focus on volvocine algae, we model the basic elements of the cell cycle and show how group reproduction can emerge through the coevolution of a life-history trait with a trait underpinning cell cycle change. Our model explains how events in the cell cycle become reordered to create a group life cycle through continuous change in the cell cycle trait, but only if the cell cycle trait can coevolve with the life-history trait. Explaining the origin of group reproduction helps us understand one of life's most familiar, yet fundamental, aspects-its hierarchical structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odile Maliet
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 85721 AZ, USA
| | - Deborah E Shelton
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 85721 AZ, USA
| | - Richard E Michod
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 85721 AZ, USA
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