Pathway-specific canalization and plasticity of gene expression during C. elegans dauer development

TL;DR

This study explores how gene expression in C. elegans remains consistent for some traits but varies for others during dauer development, revealing mechanisms of robustness and adaptability.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel analysis of gene co-expression modules to uncover pathway-specific canalization and plasticity in dauer development.

Findings

Most gene modules varied between different C. elegans dauers.

Modules related to dormancy (DNA repair, cell cycle) were consistently expressed.

Cytochrome P450 gene expression showed the most variability.

Abstract

How robustness and plasticity—mechanisms that restrain or promote variation— interact to generate faithful developmental outcomes remains unclear. Caenorhabditis elegans development, where different environmental and genetic stimuli each can induce larvae to switch from continuous growth to a seemingly identical dauer (dormancy) state, provides a tractable model to explore this question. To identify dauer features that differ or are invariant, we compared gene expression of seven dauers generated by different dauer-inducing conditions, globally and within >100 sets of curated covarying genes or “modules” enriched for functional features such as “protein expression,” “mitochondria,” “germline,” etc., through gene co-expression network analyses. We found that most modules varied between dauers. Yet, a subset of modules associated with dormancy—DNA repair, cell cycle, and cell division— were invariant. We propose that the robust expression of genes that regulate a few core traits governing dormancy accommodates variation in others, supporting dauers’ adaptability and resilience.

•Analysis of >100 co-varying gene sets (traits) in seven different C. elegans dauers•Transcriptomes and traits differ depending on the dauer-inducing stimulus•Traits were less conserved among environmentally induced wild-type dauers•Cell cycle and DNA repair gene expression conserved; cytochrome P450 most variable

Analysis of >100 co-varying gene sets (traits) in seven different C. elegans dauers

Transcriptomes and traits differ depending on the dauer-inducing stimulus

Traits were less conserved among environmentally induced wild-type dauers

Cell cycle and DNA repair gene expression conserved; cytochrome P450 most variable

Developmental biology; Genetics; Molecular biology; Omics

Figures