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Structure of the Transcriptional Regulatory Network Correlates with Regulatory Divergence in Drosophila.
- Source :
-
Molecular biology and evolution [Mol Biol Evol] 2017 Jun 01; Vol. 34 (6), pp. 1352-1362. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Transcriptional control of gene expression is regulated by biochemical interactions between cis-regulatory DNA sequences and trans-acting factors that form complex regulatory networks. Genetic changes affecting both cis- and trans-acting sequences in these networks have been shown to alter patterns of gene expression as well as higher-order organismal phenotypes. Here, we investigate how the structure of these regulatory networks relates to patterns of polymorphism and divergence in gene expression. To do this, we compared a transcriptional regulatory network inferred for Drosophila melanogaster to differences in gene regulation observed between two strains of D. melanogaster as well as between two pairs of closely related species: Drosophila sechellia and Drosophila simulans, and D. simulans and D. melanogaster. We found that the number of transcription factors predicted to directly regulate a gene ("in-degree") was negatively correlated with divergence in both gene expression (mRNA abundance) and cis-regulation. This observation suggests that the number of transcription factors directly regulating a gene's expression affects the conservation of cis-regulation and gene expression over evolutionary time. We also tested the hypothesis that transcription factors regulating more target genes (higher "out-degree") are less likely to evolve changes in their cis-regulation and expression (presumably due to increased pleiotropy), but found little support for this predicted relationship. Taken together, these data show how the architecture of regulatory networks can influence regulatory evolution.<br /> (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
- Subjects :
- Animals
Biological Evolution
Drosophila genetics
Drosophila Proteins genetics
Evolution, Molecular
Gene Expression Regulation genetics
Genes, Insect
Genetic Association Studies
Genotype
Phenotype
RNA, Messenger genetics
Species Specificity
Gene Regulatory Networks genetics
Transcription Factors genetics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1537-1719
- Volume :
- 34
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Molecular biology and evolution
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 28333240
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msx068