Sex‐dependent and sex‐independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populations

Abstract Size of organs/organisms is a polygenic trait. Many of the growth‐regulatory genes constitute conserved growth signaling pathways. However, how these multiple genes are orchestrated at the systems level to attain the natural variation in size including sexual size dimorphism is mostly unkno...

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Main Authors: Hirokazu Okada, Ryohei Yagi, Vincent Gardeux, Bart Deplancke, Ernst Hafen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2019-11-01
Series:Molecular Systems Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.20199012
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author Hirokazu Okada
Ryohei Yagi
Vincent Gardeux
Bart Deplancke
Ernst Hafen
author_facet Hirokazu Okada
Ryohei Yagi
Vincent Gardeux
Bart Deplancke
Ernst Hafen
author_sort Hirokazu Okada
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Size of organs/organisms is a polygenic trait. Many of the growth‐regulatory genes constitute conserved growth signaling pathways. However, how these multiple genes are orchestrated at the systems level to attain the natural variation in size including sexual size dimorphism is mostly unknown. Here we take a multi‐layered systems omics approach to study size variation in the Drosophila wing. We show that expression levels of many critical growth regulators such as Wnt and TGFβ pathway components significantly differ between sexes but not between lines exhibiting size differences within each sex, suggesting a primary role of these regulators in sexual size dimorphism. Only a few growth genes including a receptor of steroid hormone ecdysone exhibit association with between‐line size differences. In contrast, we find that between‐line size variation is largely regulated by genes with a diverse range of cellular functions, most of which have never been implicated in growth. In addition, we show that expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) linked to these novel growth regulators accurately predict population‐wide, between‐line wing size variation. In summary, our study unveils differential gene regulatory systems that control wing size variation between and within sexes.
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issn 1744-4292
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spelling doaj-art-8dba4e9364e54378b389e1aa469e00ed2025-08-20T02:11:51ZengSpringer NatureMolecular Systems Biology1744-42922019-11-01151111610.15252/msb.20199012Sex‐dependent and sex‐independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populationsHirokazu Okada0Ryohei Yagi1Vincent Gardeux2Bart Deplancke3Ernst Hafen4Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH ZurichInstitute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH ZurichLaboratory of Systems Biology and Genetics, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Swiss Institute of BioinformaticsLaboratory of Systems Biology and Genetics, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Swiss Institute of BioinformaticsInstitute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH ZurichAbstract Size of organs/organisms is a polygenic trait. Many of the growth‐regulatory genes constitute conserved growth signaling pathways. However, how these multiple genes are orchestrated at the systems level to attain the natural variation in size including sexual size dimorphism is mostly unknown. Here we take a multi‐layered systems omics approach to study size variation in the Drosophila wing. We show that expression levels of many critical growth regulators such as Wnt and TGFβ pathway components significantly differ between sexes but not between lines exhibiting size differences within each sex, suggesting a primary role of these regulators in sexual size dimorphism. Only a few growth genes including a receptor of steroid hormone ecdysone exhibit association with between‐line size differences. In contrast, we find that between‐line size variation is largely regulated by genes with a diverse range of cellular functions, most of which have never been implicated in growth. In addition, we show that expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) linked to these novel growth regulators accurately predict population‐wide, between‐line wing size variation. In summary, our study unveils differential gene regulatory systems that control wing size variation between and within sexes.https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.20199012growthomicssexual dimorphismsizewing
spellingShingle Hirokazu Okada
Ryohei Yagi
Vincent Gardeux
Bart Deplancke
Ernst Hafen
Sex‐dependent and sex‐independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populations
Molecular Systems Biology
growth
omics
sexual dimorphism
size
wing
title Sex‐dependent and sex‐independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populations
title_full Sex‐dependent and sex‐independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populations
title_fullStr Sex‐dependent and sex‐independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populations
title_full_unstemmed Sex‐dependent and sex‐independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populations
title_short Sex‐dependent and sex‐independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populations
title_sort sex dependent and sex independent regulatory systems of size variation in natural populations
topic growth
omics
sexual dimorphism
size
wing
url https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.20199012
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AT vincentgardeux sexdependentandsexindependentregulatorysystemsofsizevariationinnaturalpopulations
AT bartdeplancke sexdependentandsexindependentregulatorysystemsofsizevariationinnaturalpopulations
AT ernsthafen sexdependentandsexindependentregulatorysystemsofsizevariationinnaturalpopulations