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2015 ; 11
(10
): e1005606
Nephropedia Template TP
PLoS Genet
2015[Oct]; 11
(10
): e1005606
PMID26484664
show ga
Disruption of certain genes can reveal cryptic genetic variants that do not
typically show phenotypic effects. Because this phenomenon, which is referred to
as 'phenotypic capacitance', is a potential source of trait variation and disease
risk, it is important to understand how it arises at the genetic and molecular
levels. Here, we use a cryptic colony morphology trait that segregates in a yeast
cross to explore the mechanisms underlying phenotypic capacitance. We find that
the colony trait is expressed when a mutation in IRA2, a negative regulator of
the Ras pathway, co-occurs with specific combinations of cryptic variants in six
genes. Four of these genes encode transcription factors that act downstream of
the Ras pathway, indicating that the phenotype involves genetically complex
changes in the transcriptional regulation of Ras targets. We provide evidence
that the IRA2 mutation reveals the phenotypic effects of the cryptic variants by
disrupting the transcriptional silencing of one or more genes that contribute to
the trait. Supporting this role for the IRA2 mutation, deletion of SFL1, a
repressor that acts downstream of the Ras pathway, also reveals the phenotype,
largely due to the same cryptic variants that were detected in the IRA2 mutant
cross. Our results illustrate how higher-order genetic interactions among
mutations and cryptic variants can result in phenotypic capacitance in specific
genetic backgrounds, and suggests these interactions might reflect genetically
complex changes in gene expression that are usually suppressed by negative
regulation.