Populations of genetic circuits are unable to find the fittest solution in a multilevel genotype-phenotype map.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is of great relevance for both evolutionary and synthetic biology. Understanding the relationship between GRN structure and its function can allow us to understand the selective pressures that have shaped a given circuit. This is especially relevant when considering spatio-temporal expression patterns, where GRN models have been shown to be extremely robust and evolvable. However, previous models that studied GRN evolution did not include the evolution of protein and genetic elements that underlie GRN architecture. Here we use toyLIFE, a multilevel genotype-phenotype map, to show that not all GRNs are equally likely in genotype space and that evolution is biased to find the most common GRNs. toyLIFE rules create Boolean GRNs that, embedded i

SUBMITTER: Catalan P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7328398 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature