Dynamics of gene circuits shapes evolvability.

ABSTRACT: To what extent does the dynamical mechanism producing a specific biological phenotype bias the ability to evolve into novel phenotypes? We use the interpretation of a morphogen gradient into a single stripe of gene expression as a model phenotype. Although there are thousands of three-gene circuit topologies that can robustly develop a stripe of gene expression, the vast majority of these circuits use one of just six fundamentally different dynamical mechanisms. Here we explore the potential for gene circuits that use each of these six mechanisms to evolve novel phenotypes such as multiple stripes, inverted stripes, and gradients of gene expression. Through a comprehensive and systematic analysis, we find that circuits that use alternative mechanisms differ in the likelihood of reaching no

SUBMITTER: Jimenez A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4343095 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature