Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.

Annotating the genotype-phenotype relationship, and developing a proper quantitative description of the relationship, requires understanding the impact of natural genomic variation on gene expression. We apply a sequence-level model of gap gene expression in the early development of Drosophila to an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vitaly V Gursky, Konstantin N Kozlov, Ivan V Kulakovskiy, Asif Zubair, Paul Marjoram, David S Lawrie, Sergey V Nuzhdin, Maria G Samsonova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184657
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849765131499601920
author Vitaly V Gursky
Konstantin N Kozlov
Ivan V Kulakovskiy
Asif Zubair
Paul Marjoram
David S Lawrie
Sergey V Nuzhdin
Maria G Samsonova
author_facet Vitaly V Gursky
Konstantin N Kozlov
Ivan V Kulakovskiy
Asif Zubair
Paul Marjoram
David S Lawrie
Sergey V Nuzhdin
Maria G Samsonova
author_sort Vitaly V Gursky
collection DOAJ
description Annotating the genotype-phenotype relationship, and developing a proper quantitative description of the relationship, requires understanding the impact of natural genomic variation on gene expression. We apply a sequence-level model of gap gene expression in the early development of Drosophila to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a panel of natural sequenced D. melanogaster lines. Using a thermodynamic modeling framework, we provide both analytical and computational descriptions of how single-nucleotide variants affect gene expression. The analysis reveals that the sequence variants increase (decrease) gene expression if located within binding sites of repressors (activators). We show that the sign of SNP influence (activation or repression) may change in time and space and elucidate the origin of this change in specific examples. The thermodynamic modeling approach predicts non-local and non-linear effects arising from SNPs, and combinations of SNPs, in individual fly genotypes. Simulation of individual fly genotypes using our model reveals that this non-linearity reduces to almost additive inputs from multiple SNPs. Further, we see signatures of the action of purifying selection in the gap gene regulatory regions. To infer the specific targets of purifying selection, we analyze the patterns of polymorphism in the data at two phenotypic levels: the strengths of binding and expression. We find that combinations of SNPs show evidence of being under selective pressure, while individual SNPs do not. The model predicts that SNPs appear to accumulate in the genotypes of the natural population in a way biased towards small increases in activating action on the expression pattern. Taken together, these results provide a systems-level view of how genetic variation translates to the level of gene regulatory networks via combinatorial SNP effects.
format Article
id doaj-art-b0bb39d2f16a463684aa600c0c80d9e8
institution DOAJ
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2017-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-b0bb39d2f16a463684aa600c0c80d9e82025-08-20T03:04:57ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01129e018465710.1371/journal.pone.0184657Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.Vitaly V GurskyKonstantin N KozlovIvan V KulakovskiyAsif ZubairPaul MarjoramDavid S LawrieSergey V NuzhdinMaria G SamsonovaAnnotating the genotype-phenotype relationship, and developing a proper quantitative description of the relationship, requires understanding the impact of natural genomic variation on gene expression. We apply a sequence-level model of gap gene expression in the early development of Drosophila to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a panel of natural sequenced D. melanogaster lines. Using a thermodynamic modeling framework, we provide both analytical and computational descriptions of how single-nucleotide variants affect gene expression. The analysis reveals that the sequence variants increase (decrease) gene expression if located within binding sites of repressors (activators). We show that the sign of SNP influence (activation or repression) may change in time and space and elucidate the origin of this change in specific examples. The thermodynamic modeling approach predicts non-local and non-linear effects arising from SNPs, and combinations of SNPs, in individual fly genotypes. Simulation of individual fly genotypes using our model reveals that this non-linearity reduces to almost additive inputs from multiple SNPs. Further, we see signatures of the action of purifying selection in the gap gene regulatory regions. To infer the specific targets of purifying selection, we analyze the patterns of polymorphism in the data at two phenotypic levels: the strengths of binding and expression. We find that combinations of SNPs show evidence of being under selective pressure, while individual SNPs do not. The model predicts that SNPs appear to accumulate in the genotypes of the natural population in a way biased towards small increases in activating action on the expression pattern. Taken together, these results provide a systems-level view of how genetic variation translates to the level of gene regulatory networks via combinatorial SNP effects.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184657
spellingShingle Vitaly V Gursky
Konstantin N Kozlov
Ivan V Kulakovskiy
Asif Zubair
Paul Marjoram
David S Lawrie
Sergey V Nuzhdin
Maria G Samsonova
Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.
PLoS ONE
title Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.
title_full Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.
title_fullStr Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.
title_full_unstemmed Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.
title_short Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.
title_sort translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the drosophila gap gene regulatory network
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184657
work_keys_str_mv AT vitalyvgursky translatingnaturalgeneticvariationtogeneexpressioninacomputationalmodelofthedrosophilagapgeneregulatorynetwork
AT konstantinnkozlov translatingnaturalgeneticvariationtogeneexpressioninacomputationalmodelofthedrosophilagapgeneregulatorynetwork
AT ivanvkulakovskiy translatingnaturalgeneticvariationtogeneexpressioninacomputationalmodelofthedrosophilagapgeneregulatorynetwork
AT asifzubair translatingnaturalgeneticvariationtogeneexpressioninacomputationalmodelofthedrosophilagapgeneregulatorynetwork
AT paulmarjoram translatingnaturalgeneticvariationtogeneexpressioninacomputationalmodelofthedrosophilagapgeneregulatorynetwork
AT davidslawrie translatingnaturalgeneticvariationtogeneexpressioninacomputationalmodelofthedrosophilagapgeneregulatorynetwork
AT sergeyvnuzhdin translatingnaturalgeneticvariationtogeneexpressioninacomputationalmodelofthedrosophilagapgeneregulatorynetwork
AT mariagsamsonova translatingnaturalgeneticvariationtogeneexpressioninacomputationalmodelofthedrosophilagapgeneregulatorynetwork