What is it about?
The characteristics of an individual at birth and during growth, adulthood, and reproduction describe its life history. The discovery of a single important gene influencing maturity age in Atlantic salmon, called vgll3, allowed us to investigate the molecular details through which genes determine life history variation. We discovered that vgll3 controls the activity of thousands of other genes that each determine different aspects of pubertal onset. The results explain how a single gene can mediate variation in traits as complex as life histories - even though the genetic basis is simple, the functional mechanism connecting it to life histories is very complex.
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Why is it important?
Life histories are a central source of diversity within and between species, yet the molecular mechanisms that mediate life history variation have remained largely unknown. Our study brings much insight into how single important genes control life histories. By revealing the molecular mechanism how vgll3 controls maturity age variation in Atlantic salmon, our study helps to better understand how genetic information is passed from one molecular level to another to determine life history trait variation and why many life history traits co-vary together.
Perspectives
This study was a huge undertaking of many years that showcases the value of digging deep into the molecular details of an interesting trait. It was really a team effort, not only for the sheer size of the experiments, but also because other studies within the research group elaborated on related aspects of vgll3 that allowed us to tie it all together.
Jukka-Pekka Verta
Nord University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A complex mechanism translating variation of a simple genetic architecture into alternative life histories, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, November 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2402386121.
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