Transgenerational Effects of Extended Dauer Diapause on Starvation Survival and Gene Expression Plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans

Phenotypic plasticity is facilitated by epigenetic regulation, and remnants of such regulation may persist after plasticity-inducing cues are gone. However, the relationship between plasticity and transgenerational epigenetic memory is not understood. Dauer diapause in provides an opportunity to det...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genetics (Austin) 2018-09, Vol.210 (1), p.263-274
Main Authors: Webster, Amy K, Jordan, James M, Hibshman, Jonathan D, Chitrakar, Rojin, Baugh, L Ryan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Animal reproduction
Animals
Bioinformatics
Breeding success
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics
Caenorhabditis elegans - metabolism
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - metabolism
Cell Plasticity - genetics
Cohort Effect
Diapause
Diapause - genetics
Epigenesis, Genetic - genetics
Epigenetics
Famine
Gene Expression
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - genetics
Genetics
Investigation
Larva - genetics
Life span
Longevity - genetics
Nematodes
Nutrients
Offspring
Phenotypic plasticity
Plastic properties
Plasticity
Progeny
Reproduction
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
Signal Transduction - genetics
Starvation
Starvation - metabolism
Survival analysis
Worms
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Summary:Phenotypic plasticity is facilitated by epigenetic regulation, and remnants of such regulation may persist after plasticity-inducing cues are gone. However, the relationship between plasticity and transgenerational epigenetic memory is not understood. Dauer diapause in provides an opportunity to determine how a plastic response to the early-life environment affects traits later in life and in subsequent generations. We report that, after extended diapause, postdauer worms initially exhibit reduced reproductive success and greater interindividual variation. In contrast, F3 progeny of postdauers display increased starvation resistance and lifespan, revealing potentially adaptive transgenerational effects. Transgenerational effects are dependent on the duration of diapause, indicating an effect of extended starvation. In agreement, RNA-seq demonstrates a transgenerational effect on nutrient-responsive genes. Further, postdauer F3 progeny exhibit reduced gene expression plasticity, suggesting a trade-off between plasticity and epigenetic memory. This work reveals complex effects of nutrient stress over different time scales in an animal that evolved to thrive in feast and famine.
ISSN:1943-2631
0016-6731
1943-2631
DOI:10.1534/genetics.118.301250