1
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Everman ER, Macdonald SJ. Gene expression variation underlying tissue-specific responses to copper stress in Drosophila melanogaster. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae015. [PMID: 38262701 PMCID: PMC11021028 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Copper is one of a handful of biologically necessary heavy metals that is also a common environmental pollutant. Under normal conditions, copper ions are required for many key physiological processes. However, in excess, copper results in cell and tissue damage ranging in severity from temporary injury to permanent neurological damage. Because of its biological relevance, and because many conserved copper-responsive genes respond to nonessential heavy metal pollutants, copper resistance in Drosophila melanogaster is a useful model system with which to investigate the genetic control of the heavy metal stress response. Because heavy metal toxicity has the potential to differently impact specific tissues, we genetically characterized the control of the gene expression response to copper stress in a tissue-specific manner in this study. We assessed the copper stress response in head and gut tissue of 96 inbred strains from the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource using a combination of differential expression analysis and expression quantitative trait locus mapping. Differential expression analysis revealed clear patterns of tissue-specific expression. Tissue and treatment specific responses to copper stress were also detected using expression quantitative trait locus mapping. Expression quantitative trait locus associated with MtnA, Mdr49, Mdr50, and Sod3 exhibited both genotype-by-tissue and genotype-by-treatment effects on gene expression under copper stress, illuminating tissue- and treatment-specific patterns of gene expression control. Together, our data build a nuanced description of the roles and interactions between allelic and expression variation in copper-responsive genes, provide valuable insight into the genomic architecture of susceptibility to metal toxicity, and highlight candidate genes for future functional characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Everman
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Stuart J Macdonald
- Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside Ave, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
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2
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van Eijnatten AL, Sterken MG, Kammenga JE, Nijveen H, Snoek BL. The effect of developmental variation on expression QTLs in a multi parental Caenorhabditis elegans population. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkad273. [PMID: 38015660 PMCID: PMC10849341 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of gene expression plays a crucial role in developmental processes and adaptation to changing environments. expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping is a technique used to study the genetic regulation of gene expression using the transcriptomes of recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Typically, the age of the inbred lines at the time of RNA sampling is carefully controlled. This is necessary because the developmental process causes changes in gene expression, complicating the interpretation of eQTL mapping experiments. However, due to genetics and variation in ambient micro-environments, organisms can differ in their "developmental age," even if they are of the same chronological age. As a result, eQTL patterns are affected by developmental variation in gene expression. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans is particularly suited for studying the effect of developmental variation on eQTL mapping patterns. In a span of days, C. elegans transitions from embryo through 4 larval stages to adult while undergoing massive changes to its transcriptome. Here, we use C. elegans to investigate the effect of developmental age variation on eQTL patterns and present a normalization procedure. We used dynamical eQTL mapping, which includes the developmental age as a cofactor, to separate the variation in development from genotypic variation and explain variation in gene expression levels. We compare classical single marker eQTL mapping and dynamical eQTL mapping using RNA-seq data of ∼200 multi-parental RILs of C. elegans. The results show that (1) many eQTLs are caused by developmental variation, (2) most trans-bands are developmental QTLs, and (3) dynamical eQTL mapping detects additional eQTLs not found with classical eQTL mapping. We recommend that correction for variation in developmental age should be strongly considered in eQTL mapping studies given the large impact of processes like development on the transcriptome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham L van Eijnatten
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8,3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark G Sterken
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan E Kammenga
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Harm Nijveen
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Radix West, Building 107, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Basten L Snoek
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8,3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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3
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Zhang K, Yang Q, Du M, Zhang Z, Wang W, Zhang G, Li A, Li L. Genome-wide mapping of regulatory variants for temperature- and salinity-adaptive genes reveals genetic basis of genotype-by-environment interaction in Crassostrea ariakensis. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 236:116614. [PMID: 37442261 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory variants in gene expression serve as bridges linking genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity. Environmental conditions typically influence the effects of regulatory variants on phenotypic plasticity; however, such genotype-by-environment interactions (G × E) are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the genetic basis of G × E in estuarine oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis), which is an important model animal for studying environmental adaption owing to its high plasticity and large intraspecific divergence. Genome-wide mapping of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) for 23 environmental adaptive genes was performed for 256 estuarine oysters. We identified 1194 eQTL single nucleotide polymorphisms (eSNPs), including 433 cis-eSNPs in four genes and 722 trans-eSNPs in eight genes. The expression variation explanation of cis-eSNPs (9.95%) was significantly higher than that of trans-eSNPs (9.15%). We specifically showed cis- and trans-eSNPs with high linkage disequilibrium (LD) for Traf7, Slc6a5, Ggt, and Dap3. For example, we identified a cis-regulatory LD block containing 68 cis-eSNP and a trans-regulatory LD block, including 20 trans-eSNPs in Traf7. A high proportion (85%) of 40 vital eSNPs exhibited significant G × E effects. We identified crossing and nonparallel interactions of G × E, with the tag cis-eSNPs of Baat and Slc6a5 as representatives. Our results indicated that cis-eQTLs are highly conserved. This study provides insights into the understanding of adaptive evolutionary mechanisms and phenotypic response prediction to variable environments, as well as the genetic improvement for superior adaptive traits for genetic resource conservation and aquaculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kexin Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qi Yang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Mingyang Du
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ziyan Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Wang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Guofan Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Ao Li
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Li Li
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Ecological Mariculture, Qingdao 266071, China; Shandong Technology Innovation Center of Oyster Seed Industry, Qingdao 266000, China.
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4
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Everman ER, Macdonald SJ. Gene expression variation underlying tissue-specific responses to copper stress in Drosophila melanogaster. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.12.548746. [PMID: 37503205 PMCID: PMC10370140 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.12.548746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Copper is one of a handful of biologically necessary heavy metals that is also a common environmental pollutant. Under normal conditions, copper ions are required for many key physiological processes. However, in excess, copper quickly results in cell and tissue damage that can range in severity from temporary injury to permanent neurological damage. Because of its biological relevance, and because many conserved copper-responsive genes also respond to other non-essential heavy metal pollutants, copper resistance in Drosophila melanogaster is a useful model system with which to investigate the genetic control of the response to heavy metal stress. Because heavy metal toxicity has the potential to differently impact specific tissues, we genetically characterized the control of the gene expression response to copper stress in a tissue-specific manner in this study. We assessed the copper stress response in head and gut tissue of 96 inbred strains from the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource (DSPR) using a combination of differential expression analysis and expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping. Differential expression analysis revealed clear patterns of tissue-specific expression, primarily driven by a more pronounced gene expression response in gut tissue. eQTL mapping of gene expression under control and copper conditions as well as for the change in gene expression following copper exposure (copper response eQTL) revealed hundreds of genes with tissue-specific local cis-eQTL and many distant trans-eQTL. eQTL associated with MtnA, Mdr49, Mdr50, and Sod3 exhibited genotype by environment effects on gene expression under copper stress, illuminating several tissue- and treatment-specific patterns of gene expression control. Together, our data build a nuanced description of the roles and interactions between allelic and expression variation in copper-responsive genes, provide valuable insight into the genomic architecture of susceptibility to metal toxicity, and highlight many candidate genes for future functional characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Everman
- 1200 Sunnyside Ave, University of Kansas, Molecular Biosciences, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- 730 Van Vleet Oval, University of Oklahoma, Biology, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Stuart J Macdonald
- 1200 Sunnyside Ave, University of Kansas, Molecular Biosciences, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- 1200 Sunnyside Ave, University of Kansas, Center for Computational Biology, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
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5
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Sterken MG, Nijveen H, van Zanten M, Jiménez-Gómez JM, Geshnizjani N, Willems LAJ, Rienstra J, Hilhorst HWM, Ligterink W, Snoek BL. Plasticity of maternal environment-dependent expression-QTLs of tomato seeds. TAG. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS. THEORETISCHE UND ANGEWANDTE GENETIK 2023; 136:28. [PMID: 36810666 PMCID: PMC9944408 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-023-04322-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Seeds are essential for plant reproduction, survival, and dispersal. Germination ability and successful establishment of young seedlings strongly depend on seed quality and on environmental factors such as nutrient availability. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and many other species, seed quality and seedling establishment characteristics are determined by genetic variation, as well as the maternal environment in which the seeds develop and mature. The genetic contribution to variation in seed and seedling quality traits and environmental responsiveness can be estimated at transcriptome level in the dry seed by mapping genomic loci that affect gene expression (expression QTLs) in contrasting maternal environments. In this study, we applied RNA-sequencing to construct a linkage map and measure gene expression of seeds of a tomato recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between S. lycopersicum (cv. Moneymaker) and S. pimpinellifolium (G1.1554). The seeds matured on plants cultivated under different nutritional environments, i.e., on high phosphorus or low nitrogen. The obtained single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were subsequently used to construct a genetic map. We show how the genetic landscape of plasticity in gene regulation in dry seeds is affected by the maternal nutrient environment. The combined information on natural genetic variation mediating (variation in) responsiveness to the environment may contribute to knowledge-based breeding programs aiming to develop crop cultivars that are resilient to stressful environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark G. Sterken
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Harm Nijveen
- Wageningen Seed Lab, Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn van Zanten
- Plant Stress Resilience, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jose M. Jiménez-Gómez
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78000 Versailles, France
| | - Nafiseh Geshnizjani
- Wageningen Seed Lab, Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Leo A. J. Willems
- Wageningen Seed Lab, Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Juriaan Rienstra
- Wageningen Seed Lab, Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Henk W. M. Hilhorst
- Wageningen Seed Lab, Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wilco Ligterink
- Wageningen Seed Lab, Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Basten L. Snoek
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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6
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The genetic architecture underlying body-size traits plasticity over different temperatures and developmental stages in Caenorhabditis elegans. Heredity (Edinb) 2022; 128:313-324. [PMID: 35383317 PMCID: PMC9076863 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00528-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Most ectotherms obey the temperature-size rule, meaning they grow larger in a colder environment. This raises the question of how the interplay between genes and temperature affects the body size of ectotherms. Despite the growing body of literature on the physiological life-history and molecular genetic mechanism underlying the temperature-size rule, the overall genetic architecture orchestrating this complex phenotype is not yet fully understood. One approach to identify genetic regulators of complex phenotypes is quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. Here, we explore the genetic architecture of body-size phenotypes, and plasticity of body-size phenotypes at different temperatures using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model ectotherm. We used 40 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from N2 and CB4856, which were reared at four different temperatures (16, 20, 24, and 26 °C) and measured at two developmental stages (L4 and adult). The animals were measured for body length, width at vulva, body volume, length/width ratio, and seven other body-size traits. The genetically diverse RILs varied in their body-size phenotypes with heritabilities ranging from 0.0 to 0.99. We detected 18 QTL underlying the body-size traits across all treatment combinations, with the majority clustering on Chromosome X. We hypothesize that the Chromosome X QTL could result from a known pleiotropic regulator-npr-1-known to affect the body size of C. elegans through behavioral changes. We also found five plasticity QTL of body-size traits where three colocalized with body-size QTL. In conclusion, our findings shed more light on multiple loci affecting body-size plasticity and the possibility of co-regulation of traits and traits plasticity by the same loci under different environments.
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7
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Genetic approaches for increasing fitness in endangered species. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:332-345. [PMID: 35027225 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The global rate of wildlife extinctions is accelerating, and the persistence of many species requires conservation breeding programs. A central paradigm of these programs is to preserve the genetic diversity of the founder populations. However, this may preserve original characteristics that make them vulnerable to extinction. We introduce targeted genetic intervention (TGI) as an alternative approach that promotes traits that enable species to persist in the face of threats by changing the incidence of alleles that impact on fitness. The TGI toolkit includes methods with established efficacy in model organisms and agriculture but are largely untried for conservation, such as synthetic biology and artificial selection. We explore TGI approaches as a species-restoration tool for intractable threats including infectious disease and climate change.
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8
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Snoek BL, Sterken MG, Nijveen H, Volkers RJM, Riksen J, Rosenstiel PC, Schulenburg H, Kammenga JE. The genetics of gene expression in a Caenorhabditis elegans multiparental recombinant inbred line population. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6347583. [PMID: 34568931 PMCID: PMC8496280 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Studying genetic variation of gene expression provides a powerful way to unravel the molecular components underlying complex traits. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) studies have been performed in several different model species, yet most of these linkage studies have been based on the genetic segregation of two parental alleles. Recently, we developed a multiparental segregating population of 200 recombinant inbred lines (mpRILs) derived from four wild isolates (JU1511, JU1926, JU1931, and JU1941) in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We used RNA-seq to investigate how multiple alleles affect gene expression in these mpRILs. We found 1789 genes differentially expressed between the parental lines. Transgression, expression beyond any of the parental lines in the mpRILs, was found for 7896 genes. For expression QTL mapping almost 9000 SNPs were available. By combining these SNPs and the RNA-seq profiles of the mpRILs, we detected almost 6800 eQTLs. Most trans-eQTLs (63%) co-locate in six newly identified trans-bands. The trans-eQTLs found in previous two-parental allele eQTL experiments and this study showed some overlap (17.5–46.8%), highlighting on the one hand that a large group of genes is affected by polymorphic regulators across populations and conditions, on the other hand, it shows that the mpRIL population allows identification of novel gene expression regulatory loci. Taken together, the analysis of our mpRIL population provides a more refined insight into C. elegans complex trait genetics and eQTLs in general, as well as a starting point to further test and develop advanced statistical models for detection of multiallelic eQTLs and systems genetics studying the genotype–phenotype relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basten L Snoek
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, NL-6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark G Sterken
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, NL-6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Harm Nijveen
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, NL-6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rita J M Volkers
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, NL-6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Joost Riksen
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, NL-6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Philip C Rosenstiel
- Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology, University of Kiel, 24098 Kiel, Germany.,Competence Centre for Genomic Analysis (CCGA) Kiel, University of Kiel, 24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Hinrich Schulenburg
- Zoological Institute, University of Kiel, 24098 Kiel, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Ploen, Germany
| | - Jan E Kammenga
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, NL-6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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9
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Huang Y, Sterken MG, van Zwet K, van Sluijs L, Pijlman GP, Kammenga JE. Heat Stress Reduces the Susceptibility of Caenorhabditis elegans to Orsay Virus Infection. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1161. [PMID: 34440335 PMCID: PMC8392475 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been a versatile model for understanding the molecular responses to abiotic stress and pathogens. In particular, the response to heat stress and virus infection has been studied in detail. The Orsay virus (OrV) is a natural virus of C. elegans and infection leads to intracellular infection and proteostatic stress, which activates the intracellular pathogen response (IPR). IPR related gene expression is regulated by the genes pals-22 and pals-25, which also control thermotolerance and immunity against other natural pathogens. So far, we have a limited understanding of the molecular responses upon the combined exposure to heat stress and virus infection. We test the hypothesis that the response of C. elegans to OrV infection and heat stress are co-regulated and may affect each other. We conducted a combined heat-stress-virus infection assay and found that after applying heat stress, the susceptibility of C. elegans to OrV was decreased. This difference was found across different wild types of C. elegans. Transcriptome analysis revealed a list of potential candidate genes associated with heat stress and OrV infection. Subsequent mutant screens suggest that pals-22 provides a link between viral response and heat stress, leading to enhanced OrV tolerance of C. elegans after heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Huang
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands; (Y.H.); (M.G.S.); (K.v.Z.); (L.v.S.)
| | - Mark G. Sterken
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands; (Y.H.); (M.G.S.); (K.v.Z.); (L.v.S.)
| | - Koen van Zwet
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands; (Y.H.); (M.G.S.); (K.v.Z.); (L.v.S.)
| | - Lisa van Sluijs
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands; (Y.H.); (M.G.S.); (K.v.Z.); (L.v.S.)
| | - Gorben P. Pijlman
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Jan E. Kammenga
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands; (Y.H.); (M.G.S.); (K.v.Z.); (L.v.S.)
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10
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Evans KS, van Wijk MH, McGrath PT, Andersen EC, Sterken MG. From QTL to gene: C. elegans facilitates discoveries of the genetic mechanisms underlying natural variation. Trends Genet 2021; 37:933-947. [PMID: 34229867 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Although many studies have examined quantitative trait variation across many species, only a small number of genes and thereby molecular mechanisms have been discovered. Without these data, we can only speculate about evolutionary processes that underlie trait variation. Here, we review how quantitative and molecular genetics in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans led to the discovery and validation of 37 quantitative trait genes over the past 15 years. Using these data, we can start to make inferences about evolution from these quantitative trait genes, including the roles that coding versus noncoding variation, gene family expansion, common versus rare variants, pleiotropy, and epistasis play in trait variation across this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn S Evans
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Marijke H van Wijk
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick T McGrath
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Erik C Andersen
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
| | - Mark G Sterken
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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