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Orsini L, Brown JB, Shams Solari O, Li D, He S, Podicheti R, Stoiber MH, Spanier KI, Gilbert D, Jansen M, Rusch DB, Pfrender ME, Colbourne JK, Frilander MJ, Kvist J, Decaestecker E, De Schamphelaere KAC, De Meester L. Early transcriptional response pathways in Daphnia magna are coordinated in networks of crustacean-specific genes. Mol Ecol 2017; 27:886-897. [PMID: 28746735 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Natural habitats are exposed to an increasing number of environmental stressors that cause important ecological consequences. However, the multifarious nature of environmental change, the strength and the relative timing of each stressor largely limit our understanding of biological responses to environmental change. In particular, early response to unpredictable environmental change, critical to survival and fitness in later life stages, is largely uncharacterized. Here, we characterize the early transcriptional response of the keystone species Daphnia magna to twelve environmental perturbations, including biotic and abiotic stressors. We first perform a differential expression analysis aimed at identifying differential regulation of individual genes in response to stress. This preliminary analysis revealed that a few individual genes were responsive to environmental perturbations and they were modulated in a stressor and genotype-specific manner. Given the limited number of differentially regulated genes, we were unable to identify pathways involved in stress response. Hence, to gain a better understanding of the genetic and functional foundation of tolerance to multiple environmental stressors, we leveraged the correlative nature of networks and performed a weighted gene co-expression network analysis. We discovered that approximately one-third of the Daphnia genes, enriched for metabolism, cell signalling and general stress response, drives transcriptional early response to environmental stress and it is shared among genetic backgrounds. This initial response is followed by a genotype- and/or condition-specific transcriptional response with a strong genotype-by-environment interaction. Intriguingly, genotype- and condition-specific transcriptional response is found in genes not conserved beyond crustaceans, suggesting niche-specific adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Orsini
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - James B Brown
- Environmental Bioinformatics, Centre for Computational Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.,Department of Molecular Ecosystems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Statistics Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Preminon LLC, Rodeo, CA, USA
| | | | - Dong Li
- School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Shan He
- School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ram Podicheti
- School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.,Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University and School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Marcus H Stoiber
- Department of Molecular Ecosystems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Katina I Spanier
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Donald Gilbert
- Biology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Mieke Jansen
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Michael E Pfrender
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eck Institute for Global Health & Environmental Change Initiative, Galvin Life Science Center, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - John K Colbourne
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Mikko J Frilander
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jouni Kvist
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ellen Decaestecker
- Aquatic Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Facility Life Sciences KU Leuven Campus Kortrijk, Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Karel A C De Schamphelaere
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, GhEnToxLab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Luc De Meester
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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