Nonmutational mechanism of inheritance in the Archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus.

ABSTRACT: Epigenetic phenomena have not yet been reported in archaea, which are presumed to use a classical genetic process of heritability. Here, analysis of independent lineages of Sulfolobus solfataricus evolved for enhanced fitness implicated a non-Mendelian basis for trait inheritance. The evolved strains, called super acid-resistant Crenarchaeota (SARC), acquired traits of extreme acid resistance and genome stability relative to their wild-type parental lines. Acid resistance was heritable because it was retained regardless of extensive passage without selection. Despite the hereditary pattern, in one strain, it was impossible for these SARC traits to result from mutation because its resequenced genome had no mutation. All strains also had conserved, heritable transcriptomes impl

SUBMITTER: Payne S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6275508 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature