PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Epigenetic modifications, such as 5-methylcytosine (5mC), can sometimes be transmitted between generations, provoking speculation that epigenetic changes could play a role in adaptation and evolution. Here, we use experimental evolution to investigate how 5mC levels evolve in populations of biparental insect (Nicrophorus vespilloides) derived from a wild source population and maintained independently under different regimes of parental care in the lab. We show that 5mC levels in the transcribed regions of genes (gene bodies) diverge between populations that have been exposed to different levels of care for 30 generations. These changes in 5mC do not reflect changes in the levels of gene expression. However, the accumulation of 5mC within genes between populations is associated with reduced variability in gene expression within populations. Our results suggest that evolved change in 5mC could contribute to phenotypic evolution by influencing variability in gene expression in invertebrates.
摘要：
表观遗传修饰,如5-甲基胞嘧啶（5mC），有时可以在几代人之间传播，引起人们猜测表观遗传变化可能在适应和进化中发挥作用。这里,我们使用实验进化来研究来自野生源种群的双亲昆虫（Nicrophorusvespilloides）种群中5mC水平如何进化，并在实验室中在不同的父母照料制度下独立维持。我们表明，基因转录区域（基因体）中的5mC水平在暴露于不同水平护理30代的种群之间存在差异。5mC的这些变化不反映基因表达水平的变化。然而,群体之间基因内5mC的积累与群体内基因表达的变异性降低有关。我们的结果表明，5mC的进化变化可能通过影响无脊椎动物基因表达的变异性来促进表型进化。
