Genome Architecture Facilitates Phenotypic Plasticity in the Honeybee (Apis mellifera).

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of an organism to alter its phenotype in response to an environmental cue, facilitates rapid adaptation to changing environments. Plastic changes in morphology and behavior are underpinned by widespread gene expression changes. However, it is unknown if, or how, genomes are structured to ensure these robust responses. Here, we use repression of honeybee worker ovaries as a model of plasticity. We show that the honeybee genome is structured with respect to plasticity; genes that respond to an environmental trigger are colocated in the honeybee genome in a series of gene clusters, many of which have been assembled in the last 80 My during the evolution of the Apidae. These clusters are marked by histone modifications that prefigure the gene expression chang

SUBMITTER: Duncan EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7306700 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature