A Caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3.
Ectotherms rely for their body heat on surrounding temperatures. A key question in biology is why most ectotherms mature at a larger size at lower temperatures, a phenomenon known as the temperature-size rule. Since temperature affects virtually all processes in a living organism, current theories t...
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doaj-5e3d3876ddf249a98f0cc2d9a1f4e5032020-11-24T21:41:58ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Genetics1553-73901553-74042007-03-0133e3410.1371/journal.pgen.0030034A Caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3.Jan E KammengaAgnieszka DoroszukJoost A G RiksenEsther HazendonkLaurentiu SpiridonAndrei-Jose PetrescuMarcel TijstermanRonald H A PlasterkJaap BakkerEctotherms rely for their body heat on surrounding temperatures. A key question in biology is why most ectotherms mature at a larger size at lower temperatures, a phenomenon known as the temperature-size rule. Since temperature affects virtually all processes in a living organism, current theories to explain this phenomenon are diverse and complex and assert often from opposing assumptions. Although widely studied, the molecular genetic control of the temperature-size rule is unknown. We found that the Caenorhabditis elegans wild-type N2 complied with the temperature-size rule, whereas wild-type CB4856 defied it. Using a candidate gene approach based on an N2 x CB4856 recombinant inbred panel in combination with mutant analysis, complementation, and transgenic studies, we show that a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3 leads to mutation F96L in the encoded calpain-like protease. This mutation attenuates the ability of CB4856 to grow larger at low temperature. Homology modelling predicts that F96L reduces TRA-3 activity by destabilizing the DII-A domain. The data show that size adaptation of ectotherms to temperature changes may be less complex than previously thought because a subtle wild-type polymorphism modulates the temperature responsiveness of body size. These findings provide a novel step toward the molecular understanding of the temperature-size rule, which has puzzled biologists for decades.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1808073?pdf=render |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jan E Kammenga Agnieszka Doroszuk Joost A G Riksen Esther Hazendonk Laurentiu Spiridon Andrei-Jose Petrescu Marcel Tijsterman Ronald H A Plasterk Jaap Bakker |
spellingShingle |
Jan E Kammenga Agnieszka Doroszuk Joost A G Riksen Esther Hazendonk Laurentiu Spiridon Andrei-Jose Petrescu Marcel Tijsterman Ronald H A Plasterk Jaap Bakker A Caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3. PLoS Genetics |
author_facet |
Jan E Kammenga Agnieszka Doroszuk Joost A G Riksen Esther Hazendonk Laurentiu Spiridon Andrei-Jose Petrescu Marcel Tijsterman Ronald H A Plasterk Jaap Bakker |
author_sort |
Jan E Kammenga |
title |
A Caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3. |
title_short |
A Caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3. |
title_full |
A Caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3. |
title_fullStr |
A Caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3. |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3. |
title_sort |
caenorhabditis elegans wild type defies the temperature-size rule owing to a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS Genetics |
issn |
1553-7390 1553-7404 |
publishDate |
2007-03-01 |
description |
Ectotherms rely for their body heat on surrounding temperatures. A key question in biology is why most ectotherms mature at a larger size at lower temperatures, a phenomenon known as the temperature-size rule. Since temperature affects virtually all processes in a living organism, current theories to explain this phenomenon are diverse and complex and assert often from opposing assumptions. Although widely studied, the molecular genetic control of the temperature-size rule is unknown. We found that the Caenorhabditis elegans wild-type N2 complied with the temperature-size rule, whereas wild-type CB4856 defied it. Using a candidate gene approach based on an N2 x CB4856 recombinant inbred panel in combination with mutant analysis, complementation, and transgenic studies, we show that a single nucleotide polymorphism in tra-3 leads to mutation F96L in the encoded calpain-like protease. This mutation attenuates the ability of CB4856 to grow larger at low temperature. Homology modelling predicts that F96L reduces TRA-3 activity by destabilizing the DII-A domain. The data show that size adaptation of ectotherms to temperature changes may be less complex than previously thought because a subtle wild-type polymorphism modulates the temperature responsiveness of body size. These findings provide a novel step toward the molecular understanding of the temperature-size rule, which has puzzled biologists for decades. |
url |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1808073?pdf=render |
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