Balancing Selection of the Intracellular Pathogen Response in Natural Caenorhabditis elegans Populations.

ABSTRACT: Genetic variation in host populations may lead to differential viral susceptibilities. Here, we investigate the role of natural genetic variation in the Intracellular Pathogen Response (IPR), an important antiviral pathway in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans against Orsay virus (OrV). The IPR involves transcriptional activity of 80 genes including the pals-genes. We examine the genetic variation in the pals-family for traces of selection and explore the molecular and phenotypic effects of having distinct pals-gene alleles. Genetic analysis of 330 global C. elegans strains reveals that genetic diversity within the IPR-related pals-genes can be categorized in a few haplotypes worldwide. Importantly, two key IPR regulators, pals-22 and

SUBMITTER: van Sluijs L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8841876 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature