Rapid and biased evolution of canalization during adaptive divergence revealed by dominance in gene expression variability during Arctic charr early development.

ABSTRACT: Adaptive evolution may be influenced by canalization, the buffering of developmental processes from environmental and genetic perturbations, but how this occurs is poorly understood. Here, we explore how gene expression variability evolves in diverging and hybridizing populations, by focusing on the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) of Thingvallavatn, a classic case of divergence between feeding habitats. We report distinct profiles of gene expression variance for both coding RNAs and microRNAs between the offspring of two contrasting morphs (benthic/limnetic) and their hybrids reared in common conditions and sampled at two key points of cranial development. Gene expression variance in the hybrids is substantially affected by maternal effects, and many genes show biased expression variance

SUBMITTER: Horta-Lacueva QJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10471602 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature