Pervasive gene expression responses to a fluctuating diet in Drosophila melanogaster: The importance of measuring multiple traits to decouple potential mediators of life span and reproduction

TY - JOUR

T1 - Pervasive gene expression responses to a fluctuating diet in Drosophila melanogaster

T2 - The importance of measuring multiple traits to decouple potential mediators of life span and reproduction

AU - Zandveld, Jelle

AU - van den Heuvel, Joost

AU - Mulder, Maarten

AU - Brakefield, Paul M.

AU - Kirkwood, Thomas B.L.

AU - Shanley, Daryl P.

AU - Zwaan, Bas J.

PY - 2017/11

Y1 - 2017/11

N2 - Phenotypic plasticity is an important concept in life-history evolution, and most organisms, including Drosophila melanogaster, show a plastic life-history response to diet. However, little is known about how these life-history responses are mediated. In this study, we compared adult female flies fed an alternating diet (yoyo flies) with flies fed a constant low (CL) or high (CH) diet and tested how whole genome expression was affected by these diet regimes and how the transcriptional responses related to different life-history traits. We showed that flies were able to respond quickly to diet fluctuations throughout life span by drastically changing their transcription. Importantly, by measuring the response of multiple life-history traits we were able to decouple groups of genes associated with life span or reproduction, life-history traits that often covary with a diet change. A coexpression network analysis uncovered which genes underpin the separate and shared regulation of these life-history traits. Our study provides essential insights to help unravel the genetic architecture mediating life-history responses to diet, and it shows that the flies’ whole genome transcription response is highly plastic.

AB - Phenotypic plasticity is an important concept in life-history evolution, and most organisms, including Drosophila melanogaster, show a plastic life-history response to diet. However, little is known about how these life-history responses are mediated. In this study, we compared adult female flies fed an alternating diet (yoyo flies) with flies fed a constant low (CL) or high (CH) diet and tested how whole genome expression was affected by these diet regimes and how the transcriptional responses related to different life-history traits. We showed that flies were able to respond quickly to diet fluctuations throughout life span by drastically changing their transcription. Importantly, by measuring the response of multiple life-history traits we were able to decouple groups of genes associated with life span or reproduction, life-history traits that often covary with a diet change. A coexpression network analysis uncovered which genes underpin the separate and shared regulation of these life-history traits. Our study provides essential insights to help unravel the genetic architecture mediating life-history responses to diet, and it shows that the flies’ whole genome transcription response is highly plastic.

KW - Fecundity

KW - gene regulatory networks

KW - life span regulation

KW - phenotypic plasticity

KW - trade-offs

U2 - 10.1111/evo.13327

DO - 10.1111/evo.13327

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28833068

AN - SCOPUS:85032888612

SN - 0014-3820

VL - 71

SP - 2572

EP - 2583

JO - Evolution

JF - Evolution

IS - 11

ER -