1
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McDiarmid CS, Hooper DM, Stier A, Griffith SC. Mitonuclear interactions impact aerobic metabolism in hybrids and may explain mitonuclear discordance in young, naturally hybridizing bird lineages. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17374. [PMID: 38727686 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Understanding genetic incompatibilities and genetic introgression between incipient species are major goals in evolutionary biology. Mitochondrial genes evolve rapidly and exist in dense gene networks with coevolved nuclear genes, suggesting that mitochondrial respiration may be particularly susceptible to disruption in hybrid organisms. Mitonuclear interactions have been demonstrated to contribute to hybrid dysfunction between deeply divergent taxa crossed in the laboratory, but there are few empirical examples of mitonuclear interactions between younger lineages that naturally hybridize. Here, we use controlled hybrid crosses and high-resolution respirometry to provide the first experimental evidence in a bird that inter-lineage mitonuclear interactions impact mitochondrial aerobic metabolism. Specifically, respiration capacity of the two mitodiscordant backcrosses (with mismatched mitonuclear combinations) differs from one another, although they do not differ significantly from the parental groups or mitoconcordant backcrosses as we would expect of mitonuclear disruptions. In the wild hybrid zone between these subspecies, the mitochondrial cline centre is shifted west of the nuclear cline centre, which is consistent with the direction of our experimental results. Our results therefore demonstrate asymmetric mitonuclear interactions that impact the capacity of cellular mitochondrial respiration and may help to explain the geographic discordance between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes observed in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum S McDiarmid
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Daniel M Hooper
- Institute for Comparative Genomics and Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
| | - Antoine Stier
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR7178, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
| | - Simon C Griffith
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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2
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Edmands S. Mother's Curse effects on lifespan and aging. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2024; 5:1361396. [PMID: 38523670 PMCID: PMC10957651 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2024.1361396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
The Mother's Curse hypothesis posits that mothers curse their sons with harmful mitochondria, because maternal mitochondrial inheritance makes selection blind to mitochondrial mutations that harm only males. As a result, mitochondrial function may be evolutionarily optimized for females. This is an attractive explanation for ubiquitous sex differences in lifespan and aging, given the prevalence of maternal mitochondrial inheritance and the established relationship between mitochondria and aging. This review outlines patterns expected under the hypothesis, and traits most likely to be affected, chiefly those that are sexually dimorphic and energy intensive. A survey of the literature shows that evidence for Mother's Curse is limited to a few taxonomic groups, with the strongest support coming from experimental crosses in Drosophila. Much of the evidence comes from studies of fertility, which is expected to be particularly vulnerable to male-harming mitochondrial mutations, but studies of lifespan and aging also show evidence of Mother's Curse effects. Despite some very compelling studies supporting the hypothesis, the evidence is quite patchy overall, with contradictory results even found for the same traits in the same taxa. Reasons for this scarcity of evidence are discussed, including nuclear compensation, factors opposing male-specific mutation load, effects of interspecific hybridization, context dependency and demographic effects. Mother's Curse effects may indeed contribute to sex differences, but the complexity of other contributing factors make Mother's Curse a poor general predictor of sex-specific lifespan and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Edmands
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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3
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Sprason C, Tucker T, Clancy D. MtDNA deletions and aging. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2024; 5:1359638. [PMID: 38425363 PMCID: PMC10902006 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2024.1359638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Aging is the major risk factor in most of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, yet its fundamental causes mostly remain unclear. One of the clear hallmarks of aging is mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria are best known for their roles in cellular energy generation, but they are also critical biosynthetic and signaling organelles. They also undergo multiple changes with organismal age, including increased genetic errors in their independent, circular genome. A key group of studies looking at mice with increased mtDNA mutations showed that premature aging phenotypes correlated with increased deletions but not point mutations. This generated an interest in mitochondrial deletions as a potential fundamental cause of aging. However, subsequent studies in different models have yielded diverse results. This review summarizes the research on mitochondrial deletions in various organisms to understand their possible roles in causing aging while identifying the key complications in quantifying deletions across all models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David Clancy
- Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
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4
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Brand JA, Garcia-Gonzalez F, Dowling DK, Wong BBM. Mitochondrial genetic variation as a potential mediator of intraspecific behavioural diversity. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:199-212. [PMID: 37839905 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial genes play an essential role in energy metabolism. Variation in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence often exists within species, and this variation can have consequences for energy production and organismal life history. Yet, despite potential links between energy metabolism and the expression of animal behaviour, mtDNA variation has been largely neglected to date in studies investigating intraspecific behavioural diversity. We outline how mtDNA variation and interactions between mitochondrial and nuclear genotypes may contribute to the expression of individual-to-individual behavioural differences within populations, and why such effects may lead to sex differences in behaviour. We contend that integration of the mitochondrial genome into behavioural ecology research may be key to fully understanding the evolutionary genetics of animal behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack A Brand
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Francisco Garcia-Gonzalez
- Doñana Biological Station-CSIC, Seville, Spain; Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Damian K Dowling
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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5
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Hitchcock TJ, Gardner A. Sexual antagonism in sequential hermaphrodites. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20232222. [PMID: 37989243 PMCID: PMC10688264 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Females and males may have distinct phenotypic optima, but share essentially the same complement of genes, potentially leading to trade-offs between attaining high fitness through female versus male reproductive success. Such sexual antagonism may be particularly acute in hermaphrodites, where both reproductive strategies are housed within a single individual. While previous models have focused on simultaneous hermaphroditism, we lack theory for how sexual antagonism may play out under sequential hermaphroditism, which has the additional complexities of age-structure. Here, we develop a formal theory of sexual antagonism in sequential hermaphrodites. First, we construct a general theoretical overview of the problem, then consider different types of sexually antagonistic and life-history trade-offs, under different modes of genetic inheritance (autosomal or cytoplasmic), and different forms of sequential hermaphroditism (protogynous, protoandrous or bidirectional). Finally, we provide a concrete illustration of these general patterns by developing a two-stage two-sex model, which yields conditions for both invasion of sexually antagonistic alleles and maintenance of sexually antagonistic polymorphisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Hitchcock
- RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS), RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
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6
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Dowling DK, Wolff JN. Evolutionary genetics of the mitochondrial genome: insights from Drosophila. Genetics 2023:7160843. [PMID: 37171259 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are key to energy conversion in virtually all eukaryotes. Intriguingly, despite billions of years of evolution inside the eukaryote, mitochondria have retained their own small set of genes involved in the regulation of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and protein translation. Although there was a long-standing assumption that the genetic variation found within the mitochondria would be selectively neutral, research over the past 3 decades has challenged this assumption. This research has provided novel insight into the genetic and evolutionary forces that shape mitochondrial evolution and broader implications for evolutionary ecological processes. Many of the seminal studies in this field, from the inception of the research field to current studies, have been conducted using Drosophila flies, thus establishing the species as a model system for studies in mitochondrial evolutionary biology. In this review, we comprehensively review these studies, from those focusing on genetic processes shaping evolution within the mitochondrial genome, to those examining the evolutionary implications of interactions between genes spanning mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, and to those investigating the dynamics of mitochondrial heteroplasmy. We synthesize the contribution of these studies to shaping our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological implications of mitochondrial genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian K Dowling
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Jonci N Wolff
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
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7
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Cayuela H, Gaillard JM, Vieira C, Ronget V, Gippet JMW, Garcia TC, Marais GAB, Lemaître JF. Sex differences in adult lifespan and aging rate across mammals: a test of the 'Mother Curse hypothesis'. Mech Ageing Dev 2023; 212:111799. [PMID: 36948470 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2023.111799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
In many animal species, including humans, males have shorter lifespan and show faster survival aging than females. This differential increase in mortality between sexes could result from the accumulation of deleterious mutations in the mitochondrial genome of males due to the maternal mode of mtDNA inheritance. To date, empirical evidence supporting the existence of this mechanism - called the Mother Curse hypothesis - remains largely limited to a few study cases in humans and Drosophila. In this study, we tested whether the Mother Curse hypothesis accounts for sex differences in lifespan and aging rate across 128 populations of mammals (60 and 68 populations studied in wild and captive conditions, respectively) encompassing 104 species. We found that adult lifespan decreases with increasing mtDNA neutral substitution rate in both sexes in a similar way in the wild - but not in captivity. Moreover, the aging rate marginally increased with neutral substitution rate in males and females in the wild. Overall, these results indicate that the Mother Curse hypothesis is not supported across mammals. We further discuss the implication of these findings for our understanding of the evolution of sex differences in mortality and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Cayuela
- Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-769622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-769622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Cristina Vieira
- Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-769622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Victor Ronget
- Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-769622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jérôme M W Gippet
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Thamar Conde Garcia
- Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-769622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gabriel A B Marais
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Jean-François Lemaître
- Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-769622, Villeurbanne, France
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8
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Layh S, Nagarajan-Radha V, Lemos B, Dowling DK. Y chromosome-linked variation affects locomotor activity in male Drosophila melanogaster and is robust to differences in thermal environment. Heredity (Edinb) 2023; 130:312-319. [PMID: 36914794 PMCID: PMC10163223 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-023-00604-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Although containing genes important for sex determination, genetic variation within the Y chromosome was traditionally predicted to contribute little to the expression of sexually dimorphic traits. This prediction was shaped by the assumption that the chromosome harbours few protein-coding genes, and that capacity for Y-linked variation to shape adaptation would be hindered by the chromosome's lack of recombination and holandric inheritance. Consequently, most studies exploring the genotypic contributions to sexually dimorphic traits have focused on the autosomes and X chromosome. Yet, several studies have now demonstrated that the Y chromosome harbours variation affecting male fitness, moderating the expression of hundreds of genes across the nuclear genome. Furthermore, emerging results have shown that expression of this Y-linked variation may be sensitive to environmental heterogeneity, leading to the prediction that Y-mediated gene-by-environment interactions will shape the expression of sexually dimorphic phenotypes. We tested this prediction, investigating whether genetic variation across six distinct Y chromosome haplotypes affects the expression of locomotor activity, at each of two temperatures (20 and 28 °C) in male fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Locomotor activity is a sexually dimorphic trait in this species, previously demonstrated to be under intralocus sexual conflict. We demonstrate Y haplotype effects on male locomotor activity, but the rank order and magnitude of these effects were unaltered by differences in temperature. Our study contributes to a growing number of studies demonstrating Y-linked effects moderating expression of traits evolving under sexually antagonistic selection, suggesting a role for the Y chromosome in shaping outcomes of sexual conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Layh
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Venkatesh Nagarajan-Radha
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Behaviour Ecology and Evolution Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Bernardo Lemos
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Damian K Dowling
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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9
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Koch RE, Dowling DK. Effects of mitochondrial haplotype on pre-copulatory mating success in male fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1396-1402. [PMID: 35988150 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
While mitochondria have long been understood to be critical to cellular function, questions remain as to how genetic variation within mitochondria may underlie variation in general metrics of organismal function. To date, studies investigating links between mitochondrial genotype and phenotype have largely focused on differences in expression of genes and physiological and life-history traits across haplotypes. Mating display behaviours may also be sensitive to mitochondrial functionality and so may also be affected by sequence variation in mitochondrial DNA, with consequences for sexual selection and fitness. Here, we tested whether the pre-copulatory mating success of male fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) varies across six different mitochondrial haplotypes expressed alongside a common nuclear genetic background. We found a significant effect of mitochondrial haplotype on our measure of competitive mating success, driven largely by the relatively poor performance of males with one particular haplotype. This haplotype, termed 'Brownsville', has previously been shown to have complex and sex-specific effects, most notably including depressed fertility in males but not females. Our study extends this disproportionate effect on male reproductive success to pre-copulatory aspects of reproduction. Our results demonstrate that mutations in mitochondrial DNA can plausibly affect pre-copulatory mating success, with implications for future study into the subcellular underpinnings of such behaviours and the information they may communicate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Koch
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Damian K Dowling
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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10
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Brown EB, Klok J, Keene AC. Measuring metabolic rate in single flies during sleep and waking states via indirect calorimetry. J Neurosci Methods 2022; 376:109606. [PMID: 35483506 PMCID: PMC9310448 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drosophila melanogaster is a leading genetic model for studying the neural regulation of sleep. Sleep is associated with changes in behavior and physiological state that are largely conserved across species. The investigation of sleep in flies has predominantly focused on behavioral readouts of sleep because physiological measurements, including changes in brain activity and metabolic rate, are less accessible. We have previously used stop-flow indirect calorimetry to measure whole body metabolic rate in single flies and have shown that in flies, like mammals, metabolic rate is reduced during sleep. NEW METHOD Here, we describe a modified version of this system that allows for efficient and highly sensitive acquisition of CO2 output from single flies. RESULTS In this modified system, we show that sleep-dependent changes in metabolic rate are diminished in aging flies, supporting the notion that sleep quality is reduced as flies age. We also describe a modification that allows for simultaneous acquisition of CO2 and O2 levels, providing a respiratory quotient that quantifies how metabolic stores are utilized. We find that the respiratory quotient identified in flies on an all-sugar diet is suggestive of lipogenesis, where the dietary sugar provided to the flies is being converted to fat. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS AND CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the measurement of metabolic rate via indirect calorimetry not only provides a physiological readout of sleep depth, but also provides insight the metabolic regulation of nutrient utilization, with broad applications to genetic studies in flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth B Brown
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Jaco Klok
- Sable Systems International, Las Vegas, NV 89032, USA
| | - Alex C Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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11
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Anderson L, Camus MF, Monteith KM, Salminen TS, Vale PF. Variation in mitochondrial DNA affects locomotor activity and sleep in Drosophila melanogaster. Heredity (Edinb) 2022; 129:225-232. [PMID: 35764697 PMCID: PMC9519576 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00554-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are organelles that produce cellular energy in the form of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation, and this primary function is conserved among many taxa. Locomotion is a trait that is highly reliant on metabolic function and expected to be greatly affected by disruptions to mitochondrial performance. To this end, we aimed to examine how activity and sleep vary between Drosophila melanogaster strains with different geographic origins, how these patterns are affected by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation, and how breaking up co-evolved mito-nuclear gene combinations affect the studied activity traits. Our results demonstrate that Drosophila strains from different locations differ in sleep and activity, and that females are generally more active than males. By comparing activity and sleep of mtDNA variants introgressed onto a common nuclear background in cytoplasmic hybrid (cybrid) strains, we were able to quantify the among-line variance attributable to mitochondrial DNA, and we establish that mtDNA variation affects both activity and sleep, in a sex-specific manner. Altogether our study highlights the important role that mitochondrial genome variation plays on organismal physiology and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Anderson
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - M Florencia Camus
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Katy M Monteith
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Tiina S Salminen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Pedro F Vale
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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12
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Camus MF, Alexander-Lawrie B, Sharbrough J, Hurst GDD. Inheritance through the cytoplasm. Heredity (Edinb) 2022; 129:31-43. [PMID: 35525886 PMCID: PMC9273588 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00540-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Most heritable information in eukaryotic cells is encoded in the nuclear genome, with inheritance patterns following classic Mendelian segregation. Genomes residing in the cytoplasm, however, prove to be a peculiar exception to this rule. Cytoplasmic genetic elements are generally maternally inherited, although there are several exceptions where these are paternally, biparentally or doubly-uniparentally inherited. In this review, we examine the diversity and peculiarities of cytoplasmically inherited genomes, and the broad evolutionary consequences that non-Mendelian inheritance brings. We first explore the origins of vertical transmission and uniparental inheritance, before detailing the vast diversity of cytoplasmic inheritance systems across Eukaryota. We then describe the evolution of genomic organisation across lineages, how this process has been shaped by interactions with the nuclear genome and population genetics dynamics. Finally, we discuss how both nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes have evolved to co-inhabit the same host cell via one of the longest symbiotic processes, and all the opportunities for intergenomic conflict that arise due to divergence in inheritance patterns. In sum, we cannot understand the evolution of eukaryotes without understanding hereditary symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Florencia Camus
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
| | | | - Joel Sharbrough
- Biology Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, USA
| | - Gregory D D Hurst
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, England
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13
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Tan DX, Hardeland R. The Reserve/Maximum Capacity of Melatonin's Synthetic Function for the Potential Dimorphism of Melatonin Production and Its Biological Significance in Mammals. Molecules 2021; 26:7302. [PMID: 34885890 PMCID: PMC8659113 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26237302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
In this article, we attempt to classify a potential dimorphism of melatonin production. Thus, a new concept of "reserve or maximum capacity of melatonin synthetic function" is introduced to explain the subtle dimorphism of melatonin production in mammals. Considering ASMT/ASMTL genes in the pseudoautosomal region of sex chromosomes with high prevalence of mutation in males, as well as the sex bias of the mitochondria in which melatonin is synthesized, we hypothesize the existence of a dimorphism in melatonin production to favor females, which are assumed to possess a higher reserve capacity for melatonin synthesis than males. Under physiological conditions, this subtle dimorphism is masked by the fact that cells or tissues only need baseline melatonin production, which can be accomplished without exploiting the full potential of melatonin's synthetic capacity. This capacity is believed to exceed the already remarkable nocturnal increase as observed within the circadian cycle. However, during aging or under stressful conditions, the reserve capacity of melatonin's synthetic function is required to be activated to produce sufficiently high levels of melatonin for protective purposes. Females seem to possess a higher reserve/maximum capacity for producing more melatonin than males. Thus, this dimorphism of melatonin production becomes manifest and detectable under these conditions. The biological significance of the reserve/maximum capacity of melatonin's synthetic function is to improve the recovery rate of organisms from injury, to increase resistance to pathogen infection, and even to enhance their chances of survival by maximizing melatonin production under stressful conditions. The higher reserve/maximum capacity of melatonin synthesis in females may also contribute to the dimorphism in longevity, favoring females in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dun-Xian Tan
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Rüdiger Hardeland
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany;
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14
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Breton S, Ghiselli F, Milani L. Mitochondrial Short-Term Plastic Responses and Long-Term Evolutionary Dynamics in Animal Species. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6248094. [PMID: 33892508 PMCID: PMC8290114 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
How do species respond or adapt to environmental changes? The answer to this depends partly on mitochondrial epigenetics and genetics, new players in promoting adaptation to both short- and long-term environmental changes. In this review, we explore how mitochondrial epigenetics and genetics mechanisms, such as mtDNA methylation, mtDNA-derived noncoding RNAs, micropeptides, mtDNA mutations, and adaptations, can contribute to animal plasticity and adaptation. We also briefly discuss the challenges in assessing mtDNA adaptive evolution. In sum, this review covers new advances in the field of mitochondrial genomics, many of which are still controversial, and discusses processes still somewhat obscure, and some of which are still quite speculative and require further robust experimentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Breton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fabrizio Ghiselli
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Liliana Milani
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
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15
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Carnegie L, Reuter M, Fowler K, Lane N, Camus MF. Mother's curse is pervasive across a large mitonuclear Drosophila panel. Evol Lett 2021; 5:230-239. [PMID: 34136271 PMCID: PMC8190446 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The maternal inheritance of mitochondrial genomes entails a sex‐specific selective sieve, whereby mutations in mitochondrial DNA can only respond to selection acting on females. In theory, this enables male‐harming mutations to accumulate in mitochondrial genomes as long as they are neutral, beneficial, or only slightly deleterious to females. Ultimately, this bias could drive the evolution of male‐specific mitochondrial mutation loads, an idea known as mother's curse. Earlier work on this hypothesis has mainly used small Drosophila panels, in which naturally sourced mitochondrial genomes were coupled to an isogenic nuclear background. The lack of nuclear genetic variation in these designs has precluded robust generalization. Here, we test the predictions of mother's curse using a large Drosophila mitonuclear genetic panel, comprising nine isogenic nuclear genomes coupled to nine mitochondrial haplotypes, giving a total of 81 different mitonuclear genotypes. Following a predictive framework, we tested the mother's curse hypothesis by screening our panel for wing size. This trait is tightly correlated with overall body size and is sexually dimorphic in Drosophila. Moreover, growth is heavily reliant on metabolism and mitochondrial function, making wing size an ideal trait for the study of the impact of mitochondrial variation. We detect high levels of mitonuclear epistasis, and more importantly, we report that mitochondrial genetic variance is larger in male than female Drosophila for eight out of the nine nuclear genetic backgrounds used. These results demonstrate that the maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA does indeed modulate male life history traits in a more generalisable way than previously demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorcan Carnegie
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom
| | - Max Reuter
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom
| | - Kevin Fowler
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom
| | - Nick Lane
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom
| | - M Florencia Camus
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom
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16
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Nagarajan-Radha V, Devaraj PSD. Sex differences in postprandial blood glucose and body surface temperature are contingent on flight in the fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. Biol Open 2021; 10:bio.053926. [PMID: 33509836 PMCID: PMC7903995 DOI: 10.1242/bio.053926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The postprandial blood glucose level is very high for the body size in frugivorous bats. Like other homeotherms, bats release heat during digestion of dietary macronutrients. Despite males and females of the same species exhibiting different foraging behaviour, empirical support for sex differences in blood glucose and body surface temperature in fruit bats is poor. Moreover, while flight affects postprandial metabolism, whether such effects are different in each sex of fruit bats is unclear. Here, we studied these questions in the fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. We first assessed whether there are sex differences in the postprandial level of blood glucose and body surface temperature over time in rested bats. We then assessed whether flight affects outcomes of sex differences in both traits. We found that the estimated marginal means of both traits were generally higher in females than males, in rested bats. Notably, the sex difference in both traits was only significant at specific sampling time of the assay. Further, the trait means significantly differed between the sexes only in the rested, but not active, bats, meaning that signals of sex difference in metabolic traits eroded when bats were active. Taken together, our findings suggest that in C. sphinx, the sex specificity in the expression of metabolic traits is significantly dependent on physical activity. Summary: The level of sex differences in metabolic traits is affected by flight in Cynopterus sphinx, a finding that has general implications for sex-specific life-history evolution in fruit bats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paramanantha Swami Doss Devaraj
- Centre for Behavioural and Immuno Ecology, Department of Zoology, St. John's College, Palayamkottai 627002, Tamil Nadu, India
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17
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Tan DX, Hardeland R. Targeting Host Defense System and Rescuing Compromised Mitochondria to Increase Tolerance against Pathogens by Melatonin May Impact Outcome of Deadly Virus Infection Pertinent to COVID-19. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25194410. [PMID: 32992875 PMCID: PMC7582936 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25194410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Fighting infectious diseases, particularly viral infections, is a demanding task for human health. Targeting the pathogens or targeting the host are different strategies, but with an identical purpose, i.e., to curb the pathogen's spreading and cure the illness. It appears that targeting a host to increase tolerance against pathogens can be of substantial advantage and is a strategy used in evolution. Practically, it has a broader protective spectrum than that of only targeting the specific pathogens, which differ in terms of susceptibility. Methods for host targeting applied in one pandemic can even be effective for upcoming pandemics with different pathogens. This is even more urgent if we consider the possible concomitance of two respiratory diseases with potential multi-organ afflictions such as Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and seasonal flu. Melatonin is a molecule that can enhance the host's tolerance against pathogen invasions. Due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunoregulatory activities, melatonin has the capacity to reduce the severity and mortality of deadly virus infections including COVID-19. Melatonin is synthesized and functions in mitochondria, which play a critical role in viral infections. Not surprisingly, melatonin synthesis can become a target of viral strategies that manipulate the mitochondrial status. For example, a viral infection can switch energy metabolism from respiration to widely anaerobic glycolysis even if plenty of oxygen is available (the Warburg effect) when the host cell cannot generate acetyl-coenzyme A, a metabolite required for melatonin biosynthesis. Under some conditions, including aging, gender, predisposed health conditions, already compromised mitochondria, when exposed to further viral challenges, lose their capacity for producing sufficient amounts of melatonin. This leads to a reduced support of mitochondrial functions and makes these individuals more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Thus, the maintenance of mitochondrial function by melatonin supplementation can be expected to generate beneficial effects on the outcome of viral infectious diseases, particularly COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dun-Xian Tan
- S.T. Bio-Life, San Antonio, TX 78240, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-215-672-550
| | - Ruediger Hardeland
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany;
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18
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Gangloff EJ, Schwartz TS, Klabacka R, Huebschman N, Liu AY, Bronikowski AM. Mitochondria as central characters in a complex narrative: Linking genomics, energetics, pace-of-life, and aging in natural populations of garter snakes. Exp Gerontol 2020; 137:110967. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2020.110967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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19
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Kurbalija Novičić Z, Bodén R, Kozarski K, Jelić M, Jovanović VM, Cunningham JL. Lithium influences whole-organism metabolic rate in Drosophila subobscura. J Neurosci Res 2020; 99:407-418. [PMID: 32729199 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Lithium is widely used to treat bipolar disorder. However, the efficacy and vulnerability as to its side effects are known to differ. Although the specific biochemical mechanism of action is still elusive, lithium may influence mitochondrial function, and consequently, metabolism. Lithium exposure in this study was conducted on a unique set of mito-nuclear introgression lines of Drosophila subobscura to disentangle the independent effects of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) against a common nuclear DNA background. The study addressed three issues: (a) whether lithium has a dose-dependent effect on whole-organism metabolic rate, (b) whether mtDNA haplotypes show divergent metabolic efficiency measured by metabolic rate to lithium exposure and (c) whether lithium influences the whole-organism metabolic rate across sexes. The results confirm that lithium influenced the whole-organism metabolic rate, showing a subtle balance between efficacy and adverse effects within a narrow dose range. In addition, lithium exposure was found to influence metabolism differently based on mtDNA haplotypes and sex. This preliminary research may have a range of biological implications for the role of mitochondrial variability in psychiatric disease and treatment by contributing to the understanding and predicting of the lithium treatment response and risk for toxic side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zorana Kurbalija Novičić
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.,Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Robert Bodén
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ksenija Kozarski
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mihailo Jelić
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Vladimir M Jovanović
- Bioinformatics Solution Center, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Human Biology Group, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institute for Zoology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Janet L Cunningham
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
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20
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Keaney TA, Wong HWS, Dowling DK, Jones TM, Holman L. Sibling rivalry versus mother's curse: can kin competition facilitate a response to selection on male mitochondria? Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200575. [PMID: 32605521 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Assuming that fathers never transmit mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to their offspring, mitochondrial mutations that affect male fitness are invisible to direct selection on males, leading to an accumulation of male-harming alleles in the mitochondrial genome (mother's curse). However, male phenotypes encoded by mtDNA can still undergo adaptation via kin selection provided that males interact with females carrying related mtDNA, such as their sisters. Here, using experiments with Drosophila melanogaster carrying standardized nuclear DNA but distinct mitochondrial DNA, we test whether the mitochondrial haplotype carried by interacting pairs of larvae affects survival to adulthood, as well as the fitness of the adults. Although mtDNA had no detectable direct or indirect genetic effect on larva-to-adult survival, the fitness of male and female adults was significantly affected by their own mtDNA and the mtDNA carried by their social partner in the larval stage. Thus, mtDNA mutations that alter the effect of male larvae on nearby female larvae (which often carry the same mutation, due to kinship) could theoretically respond to kin selection. We discuss the implications of our findings for the evolution of mitochondria and other maternally inherited endosymbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Keaney
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia
| | - Heidi W S Wong
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia
| | - Damian K Dowling
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic. 3800, Australia
| | - Therésa M Jones
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia
| | - Luke Holman
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia
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21
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Ghiselli F, Milani L. Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 375:20190169. [PMID: 31787041 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Finding causal links between genotype and phenotype is a major issue in biology, even more in mitochondrial biology. First of all, mitochondria form complex networks, undergoing fission and fusion and we do not know how such dynamics influence the distribution of mtDNA variants across the mitochondrial network and how they affect the phenotype. Second, the non-Mendelian inheritance of mitochondrial genes can have sex-specific effects and the mechanism of mitochondrial inheritance is still poorly understood, so it is not clear how selection and/or drift act on mtDNA genetic variation in each generation. Third, we still do not know how mtDNA expression is regulated; there is growing evidence for a convoluted mechanism that includes RNA editing, mRNA stability/turnover, post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications. Fourth, mitochondrial activity differs across species as a result of several interacting processes such as drift, adaptation, genotype-by-environment interactions, mitonuclear coevolution and epistasis. This issue will cover several aspects of mitochondrial biology along the path from genotype to phenotype, and it is subdivided into four sections focusing on mitochondrial genetic variation, on the relationship among mitochondria, germ line and sex, on the role of mitochondria in adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, and on some future perspectives in mitochondrial research. This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavour'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Ghiselli
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna 40126, Italy
| | - Liliana Milani
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna 40126, Italy
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