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Pavelka J, Poláková S, Pavelková V, Galeta P. An epigenetic change in a moth is generated by temperature and transmitted to many subsequent generations mediated by RNA. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0292179. [PMID: 38451888 PMCID: PMC10919628 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic changes in sexually reproducing animals may be transmitted usually only through a few generations. Here we discovered a case where epigenetic change lasts 40 generations. This epigenetic phenomenon occurs in the short antennae (sa) mutation of the flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella). We demonstrate that is probably determined by a small RNA (e.g., piRNA, miRNA, tsRNA) and transmitted in this way to subsequent generations through the male and female gametes. The observed epigenetic change cancels sa mutation and creates a wild phenotype (a moth that appears to have no mutation). It persists for many generations (40 recorded). This epigenetic transgenerational effect (suppression homozygous mutation for short antennae) in the flour moth is induced by changes during ontogenetic development, such as increased temperature on pupae development, food, different salts in food, or injection of RNA from the sperm of already affected individuals into the eggs. The epigenetic effect may occasionally disappear in some individuals and/or progeny of a pair in the generation chain in which the effect transfers. We consider that the survival of RNA over many generations has adaptive consequences. It is mainly a response to environmental change that is transmitted to offspring via RNA. In this study, we test an interesting epigenetic effect with an unexpected length after 40 generations and test what is its cause. Such transfer of RNA to subsequent generations may have a greater evolutionary significance than previously thought. Based on some analogies, we also discuss of the connection with the SIR2 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaroslav Pavelka
- University of West Bohemia, Centre of Biology, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Simona Poláková
- Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Věra Pavelková
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Patrik Galeta
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic
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Graziano M, Solberg MF, Glover KA, Vasudeva R, Dyrhovden L, Murray D, Immler S, Gage MJG. Pre-fertilization gamete thermal environment influences reproductive success, unmasking opposing sex-specific responses in Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231427. [PMID: 38094267 PMCID: PMC10716643 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
The environment gametes perform in just before fertilization is increasingly recognized to affect offspring fitness, yet the contributions of male and female gametes and their adaptive significance remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigated gametic thermal plasticity and its effects on hatching success and embryo performance in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Eggs and sperm were incubated overnight at 2°C or 8°C, temperatures within the optimal thermal range of this species. Crosses between warm- and cold-incubated gametes were compared using a full-factorial design, with half of each clutch reared in cold temperatures and the other in warm temperatures. This allowed disentangling single-sex interaction effects when pre-fertilization temperature of gametes mismatched embryonic conditions. Pre-fertilization temperature influenced hatch timing and synchrony, and matching sperm and embryo temperatures resulted in earlier hatching. Warm incubation benefited eggs but harmed sperm, reducing the hatching success and, overall, gametic thermal plasticity did not enhance offspring fitness, indicating vulnerability to thermal changes. We highlight the sensitivity of male gametes to higher temperatures, and that gamete acclimation may not effectively buffer against deleterious effects of thermal fluctuations. From an applied angle, we propose the differential storage of male and female gametes as a tool to enhance sustainability within the hatcheries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Graziano
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Monica F. Solberg
- Population Genetics Group, Institute of Marine Research, 5817 Bergen, Norway
| | - Kevin A. Glover
- Population Genetics Group, Institute of Marine Research, 5817 Bergen, Norway
| | - Ramakrishnan Vasudeva
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Lise Dyrhovden
- Population Genetics Group, Institute of Marine Research, 5817 Bergen, Norway
| | - David Murray
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
- Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Lowestoft NR33 0HT, UK
| | - Simone Immler
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Matthew J. G. Gage
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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Mc Auley MT. An evolutionary perspective of lifespan and epigenetic inheritance. Exp Gerontol 2023; 179:112256. [PMID: 37460026 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade epigenetics has come to the fore as a discipline which is central to biogerontology. Age associated epigenetic changes are routinely linked with pathologies, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease; moreover, epigenetic clocks are capable of correlating biological age with chronological age in many species including humans. Recent intriguing empirical observations also suggest that inherited epigenetic effects could influence lifespan/longevity in a variety of organisms. If this is the case, an imperative exists to reconcile lifespan/longevity associated inherited epigenetic processes with the evolution of ageing. This review will critically evaluate inherited epigenetic effects from an evolutionary perspective. The overarching aim is to integrate the evidence which suggests epigenetic inheritance modulates lifespan/longevity with the main evolutionary theories of ageing.
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Auge G, Hankofer V, Groth M, Antoniou-Kourounioti R, Ratikainen I, Lampei C. Plant environmental memory: implications, mechanisms and opportunities for plant scientists and beyond. AOB PLANTS 2023; 15:plad032. [PMID: 37415723 PMCID: PMC10321398 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Plants are extremely plastic organisms. They continuously receive and integrate environmental information and adjust their growth and development to favour fitness and survival. When this integration of information affects subsequent life stages or the development of subsequent generations, it can be considered an environmental memory. Thus, plant memory is a relevant mechanism by which plants respond adaptively to different environments. If the cost of maintaining the response is offset by its benefits, it may influence evolutionary trajectories. As such, plant memory has a sophisticated underlying molecular mechanism with multiple components and layers. Nonetheless, when mathematical modelling is combined with knowledge of ecological, physiological, and developmental effects as well as molecular mechanisms as a tool for understanding plant memory, the combined potential becomes unfathomable for the management of plant communities in natural and agricultural ecosystems. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the understanding of plant memory, discuss the ecological requirements for its evolution, outline the multilayered molecular network and mechanisms required for accurate and fail-proof plant responses to variable environments, point out the direct involvement of the plant metabolism and discuss the tremendous potential of various types of models to further our understanding of the plant's environmental memory. Throughout, we emphasize the use of plant memory as a tool to unlock the secrets of the natural world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Valentin Hankofer
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Martin Groth
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Rea Antoniou-Kourounioti
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Sir James Black Building, University Ave, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Irja Ratikainen
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Realfagbygget, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Christian Lampei
- Department of Biology (FB17), Plant Ecology and Geobotany Group, University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35032 Marburg, Germany
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Karin O, Miska EA, Simons BD. Epigenetic inheritance of gene silencing is maintained by a self-tuning mechanism based on resource competition. Cell Syst 2023; 14:24-40.e11. [PMID: 36657390 PMCID: PMC7614883 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Biological systems can maintain memories over long timescales, with examples including memories in the brain and immune system. It is unknown how functional properties of memory systems, such as memory persistence, can be established by biological circuits. To address this question, we focus on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in Caenorhabditis elegans. In response to a trigger, worms silence a target gene for multiple generations, resisting strong dilution due to growth and reproduction. Silencing may also be maintained indefinitely upon selection according to silencing levels. We show that these properties imply the fine-tuning of biochemical rates in which the silencing system is positioned near the transition to bistability. We demonstrate that this behavior is consistent with a generic mechanism based on competition for synthesis resources, which leads to self-organization around a critical state with broad silencing timescales. The theory makes distinct predictions and offers insights into the design principles of long-term memory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omer Karin
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK; Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK; Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Eric A Miska
- Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK; Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK; Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Benjamin D Simons
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK; Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK; Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
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Liu L, Wang D, Fu Y, Duan Z, Adetula AA, Liu H, Yu Y, Chu Q. Transcriptional analyses provide novel insights into the transgenerational effects of Poly (I:C) on chickens. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 247:114216. [PMID: 36288637 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic microorganisms that are ubiquitous in the environment threaten human health and food safety. Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly (I:C)) is a macromolecule with a double-stranded RNA structure, which is often used to simulate viruses. Our previous study found that Poly (I:C) maternal stimulation could affect the reproduction of laying hens and their offspring, but the underlying mechanism needed to be explored. In the present study, splenic transcriptomes were sequenced and analyzed from two groups (Poly (I:C) treatment as the challenged group and saline treatment as the control) and in three generations (maternal stimulated F0 hens, unchallenged F1 and F2 generations). The results showed that Poly (I:C) maternal stimulation affected gene expression patterns in laying hens and their offspring. A total of 27 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with the same regulating trend were discovered in the F0 and F1 generations, indicating an influence of the intergenerational transmission effect. Functional enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) showed that lymphocyte differentiation, positive regulation of leukocyte differentiation, positive regulation of MAPK cascade, and T cell differentiation were the common biological processes between F0 and F1 generations, revealing Poly (I:C) could affect the immunity of the treated F0 hens and the unchallenged subsequent generations. Further study showed that pathways associated with growth, development, biosynthesis, and metabolism of F2 chicks were also affected by Poly (I:C) maternal stimulation. Correlation analysis between DEGs and reproductive traits revealed that PHLDA2 (pleckstrin homology-like domain family A member 2) and PODN (podocan) with inheritable effect were highly correlated with egg-laying rate and egg weight in F1 hens, suggesting their potential long-term role in regulating reproductive traits. ARHGAP40, FGB, HRH4, PHLDA2, PODN, NTSR1, and NMU were supposed to play important roles in regulating chickens' immunity and reproductive traits. This study reveals the far-reaching effect on transcriptome induced by Poly (I:C), reflecting the influence of the mother's living environment on the offspring. It is an important reference for future research into the multi-generational transmission of maternal stimulation and harmful environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Di Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yang Fu
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China
| | - Zhongyi Duan
- National Animal Husbandry Service, Beijing 100125, China
| | - Adeyinka Abiola Adetula
- Reproductive Biotechnology, Department of Molecular Life Sciences, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University Munich, Freising 85354, Germany
| | - Huagui Liu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Ying Yu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Qin Chu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China.
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