Stochastic tuning of gene expression enables cellular adaptation in the absence of pre-existing regulatory circuitry.

ABSTRACT: Cells adapt to familiar changes in their environment by activating predefined regulatory programs that establish adaptive gene expression states. These hard-wired pathways, however, may be inadequate for adaptation to environments never encountered before. Here, we reveal evidence for an alternative mode of gene regulation that enables adaptation to adverse conditions without relying on external sensory information or genetically predetermined cis-regulation. Instead, individual genes achieve optimal expression levels through a stochastic search for improved fitness. By focusing on improving the overall health of the cell, the proposed stochastic tuning mechanism discovers global gene expression states that are fundamentally new and yet optimized for novel environments. We provide e

SUBMITTER: Freddolino L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5919758 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature