IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pgen00/1009581.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Evolution of plasticity in production and transgenerational inheritance of small RNAs under dynamic environmental conditions

Author

Listed:
  • Willian T A F Silva
  • Sarah P Otto
  • Simone Immler

Abstract

In a changing environment, small RNAs (sRNAs) play an important role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and can vary in abundance depending on the conditions experienced by an individual (phenotypic plasticity) and its parents (non-genetic inheritance). Many sRNAs are unusual in that they can be produced in two ways, either using genomic DNA as the template (primary sRNAs) or existing sRNAs as the template (secondary sRNAs). Thus, organisms can evolve rapid plastic responses to their current environment by adjusting the amplification rate of sRNA templates. sRNA levels can also be transmitted transgenerationally by the direct transfer of either sRNAs or the proteins involved in amplification. Theory is needed to describe the selective forces acting on sRNA levels, accounting for the dual nature of sRNAs as regulatory elements and templates for amplification and for the potential to transmit sRNAs and their amplification agents to offspring. Here, we develop a model to study the dynamics of sRNA production and inheritance in a fluctuating environment. We tested the selective advantage of mutants capable of sRNA-mediated phenotypic plasticity within resident populations with fixed levels of sRNA transcription. Even when the resident was allowed to evolve an optimal constant rate of sRNA production, plastic amplification rates capable of responding to environmental conditions were favored. Mechanisms allowing sRNA transcripts or amplification agents to be inherited were favored primarily when parents and offspring face similar environments and when selection acts before the optimal level of sRNA can be reached within the organism. Our study provides a clear set of testable predictions for the evolution of sRNA-related mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity and transgenerational inheritance.Author summary: Small RNAs (sRNA) are produced by a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to plants and animals. These molecules are involved in the response to environmental stress (e.g., temperature, pathogens) and can be transmitted across generations. We developed a model to explore the dynamics of sRNA production (phenotypic plasticity) and inheritance in a fluctuating environment. We tested whether different sRNA mutants can invade a population where individuals produce sRNA at a constant optimal transcription rate. In our simulations, plastic amplification rates capable of responding to environmental conditions were favored and the transmission of sRNA transcripts or amplification agents across generations was particularly advantageous when parents and offspring faced similar environments. sRNA amplification alone is not favored except when optimal sRNA levels are not reached within a generation. Our model provides novel predictions for the molecular mechanisms of sRNA production and guidance for future empirical studies on mutations that impair the mechanisms of sRNA production and their fitness consequences.

Suggested Citation

  • Willian T A F Silva & Sarah P Otto & Simone Immler, 2021. "Evolution of plasticity in production and transgenerational inheritance of small RNAs under dynamic environmental conditions," PLOS Genetics, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(5), pages 1-25, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pgen00:1009581
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009581
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1009581
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1009581&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009581?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pgen00:1009581. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosgenetics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.