Patterns of methylation and transcriptional plasticity during thermal acclimation in a reef-building coral.

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic plasticity can buffer organisms against short-term environmental fluctuations. For example, previous exposure to increased temperatures can increase thermal tolerance in many species. Prior studies have found that acclimation to higher temperature can influence the magnitude of transcriptional response to subsequent acute thermal stress (hereafter, "transcriptional response modulation"). However, mechanisms mediating this gene expression response and, ultimately, phenotypic plasticity remain largely unknown. Epigenetic modifications are good candidates for modulating transcriptional response, as they broadly correlate with gene expression. Here, we investigate changes in DNA methylation as a possible mechanism controlling shifts in gene expression plasticity and thermal acclimat

SUBMITTER: Guerrero L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11254580 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature