Parental energy-sensing pathways control intergenerational offspring sex determination in the nematode Auanema freiburgensis

BMC Biology

Christine Bateson¹  Vikas Kache¹  Beth Hill²  Pedro Robles²  Sally Adams²  Michael Winton²  Panagiota Paganopolou²  Anisa Turner²  Giusy Zuco²  Andre Pires-daSilva³ 

[1]Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, 76019, Arlington, TX, USA

[2]School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, Coventry, UK

[3]School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, Coventry, UK

[4]Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, 76019, Arlington, TX, USA

关键词: Intergenerational inheritance;    Transgenerational inheritance;    Dauer;    Sex determination;    nematode;    C. elegans;    Auanema;    AMPK;    Histone acetylation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12915-021-01032-1

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundEnvironmental stimuli experienced by the parental generation influence the phenotype of subsequent generations (Demoinet et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:E2689-E2698, 2017; Burton et al., Nat Cell Biol 19:252–257, 2017; Agrawal et al., Nature 401:60-63, 1999). The effects of these stimuli on the parental generation may be passed through the germline, but the mechanisms at the basis of this non-Mendelian type of inheritance, their level of conservation, how they lead to adaptive vs non-adaptive, and intergenerational vs transgenerational inheritance are poorly understood. Here we show that modulation of nutrient-sensing pathways in the parental generation of the nematode Auanema freiburgensis regulates phenotypic plasticity of its offspring.ResultsIn response to con-specific pheromones indicative of stress, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), and insulin signaling regulate stress resistance and sex determination across one generation, and these effects can be mimicked by pathway modulators. The effectors of these pathways are closely associated with the chromatin, and their regulation affects the chromatin acetylation status in the germline.ConclusionThese results suggest that highly conserved metabolic sensors regulate phenotypic plasticity through regulation of subcellular localization of their effectors, leading to changes in chromatin acetylation and epigenetic status of the germline.

【 授权许可】

CC BY