Levels of gene expression show considerable variation in eukaryotes, but no fine-scale maps have been made of the fitness consequences of such variation in controlled genetic backgrounds and environments. To address this, we assayed fitness at many levels of up- and down-regulated expression of a single essential gene, LCB2, involved in sphingolipid synthesis in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Reduced LCB2 expression rapidly decreases cellular fitness, yet increased expression has little effect. The wild-type expression level is therefore perched on the edge of a nonlinear fitness cliff. LCB2 is upregulated when cells are exposed to osmotic stress; consistent with this, the entire fitness curve is shifted upward to higher expression under osmotic stress, illustrating the selective force behind gene regulation. Expression levels of LCB2 are lower in wild yeast strains than in the experimental lab strain, suggesting that higher levels in the lab strain may be idiosyncratic. Reports indicate that the effect sizes of alleles contributing to variation in complex phenotypes differ among environments and genetic backgrounds; our results suggest that such differences may be explained as simple shifts in the position of nonlinear fitness curves.
Phenotypic traits may be gained and lost together because of pleiotropy, the involvement of common genes and networks, or because of simultaneous selection for multiple traits across environments (multiple-trait coevolution). However, the extent to which network pleiotropy versus environmental coevolution shapes shared responses has not been addressed. To test these alternatives, we took advantage of the fact that the genus Saccharomyces has variation in habitat usage and diversity in the carbon sources that a given strain can metabolize. We examined patterns of gain and loss in carbon utilization traits across 488 strains of Saccharomyces to investigate whether the structure of metabolic pathways or selection pressure from common environments may have caused carbon utilization traits to be gained and lost together. While most carbon sources were gained and lost independently of each other, we found four clusters that exhibit non-random patterns of gain and loss across strains. Contrary to the network pleiotropy hypothesis, we did not find that these patterns are explained by the structure of metabolic pathways or shared enzymes. Consistent with the hypothesis that common environments shape suites of phenotypes, we found that the environment a strain was isolated from partially predicts the carbon sources it can assimilate.
Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a severe neurodegenerative disorder that affects carriers of premutation CGG-repeat expansion alleles of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene; current evidence supports a causal role of the expanded CGG repeat within the FMR1 mRNA in the pathogenesis of FXTAS. Though the mRNA has been observed to induce cellular toxicity in FXTAS, the mechanisms are unclear. One common neurophysiological characteristic of FXTAS patients is their inability to properly attenuate their response to an auditory stimulus upon receipt of a small pre-stimulus. Therefore, to gain genetic and cell biological insight into FXTAS, we examined the effect of expanded CGG repeats on the plasticity of the olfactory response of the genetically tractable nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). While C. elegans is innately attracted to odors, this response can be downregulated if the odor is paired with starvation. We found that expressing expanded CGG repeats in olfactory neurons interfered with this plasticity without affecting either the innate odor-seeking response or the olfactory neuronal morphology. Interrogation of three RNA regulatory pathways indicated that the expanded CGG repeats act via the C. elegans microRNA (miRNA)-specific Argonaute ALG-2 to diminish olfactory plasticity. This observation suggests that the miRNA-Argonaute pathway may play a pathogenic role in subverting neuronal function in FXTAS.
Aim:The aim of this study was to evaluate the optical behavior of tooth color using CIE L*A*B* space; the teeth were subjected to novel bleaching gels containing peroxide carbamide with potassium oxalate. Materials and Method: Three different carbamide peroxide gels were experimentally fabricated. They consisted of 10% (G10), 16% (G16) and 37% (G37) concentrations. Sixty recently extracted premolars were subjected to different bleaching protocols. Color change (ΔE) was assessed using the CIE L*a*b* system after the application of each gel. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test (α=5%) and a t-test. Results: The G10 and G16 gels exhibited an increase in ΔE*ab parameters from T0 to T1 (T0: application day of the gels. T1: 14 th day measurement); a small decrease from T1 to T2 was also noted (T2: control measurement, 28 th day). However, no statistically significant differences were found (p=0,22 for G10 and p=0,10 for G16). The G37 gel also exhibited an increase in ΔE*ab parameters, with similar results after the first application of 45 min, the second application of 45 min, and the third application of 45 min (T1, T2 and T3, respectively. T4: control measurement, 14 th day). No statistically significant differences were observed between the three times of application (p>0,69), and an appreciable difference was noted between times T3 and T4 (p=0,000). Conclusions: The presented formulations of peroxide carbamide at 10%, 16%, and 37% are clearly effective. The G10 and G16 gels exhibited better effectiveness than the G37 gel. KEY WORDSPeroxide carbamide; Tooth bleaching.
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