Changes in gene expression predictably shift and switch genetic interactions

Non-additive interactions between mutations occur extensively and also change across conditions, making genetic prediction a difficult challenge. To better understand the plasticity of genetic interactions (epistasis), we combine mutations in a single protein performing a single function (a transcri...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Li, Xianghua, Lalić, Jasna, Baeza Centurión, Pablo, 1989-, Dhar, Riddhiman, Lehner, Ben, 1978-
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repositorio:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/42511
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/42511
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11735-3
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Computational models
Epistasis
Genetics
Systems biology
Descripción
Sumario:Non-additive interactions between mutations occur extensively and also change across conditions, making genetic prediction a difficult challenge. To better understand the plasticity of genetic interactions (epistasis), we combine mutations in a single protein performing a single function (a transcriptional repressor inhibiting a target gene). Even in this minimal system, genetic interactions switch from positive (suppressive) to negative (enhancing) as the expression of the gene changes. These seemingly complicated changes can be predicted using a mathematical model that propagates the effects of mutations on protein folding to the cellular phenotype. More generally, changes in gene expression should be expected to alter the effects of mutations and how they interact whenever the relationship between expression and a phenotype is nonlinear, which is the case for most genes. These results have important implications for understanding genotype-phenotype maps and illustrate how changes in genetic interactions can often-but not always-be predicted by hierarchical mechanistic models.