Resolving noise-control conflict by gene duplication

PLoS Biol. 2019 Nov 22;17(11):e3000289. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000289. eCollection 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Gene duplication promotes adaptive evolution in two main ways: allowing one duplicate to evolve a new function and splitting ancestral functions between the duplicates. The second scenario may resolve adaptive conflicts that can rise when one gene performs different functions. In an apparent departure from both scenarios, low-expressing transcription factor (TF) duplicates commonly bind to the same DNA motifs and act in overlapping conditions. To examine for possible benefits of this apparent redundancy, we examined the Msn2 and Msn4 duplicates in budding yeast. We show that Msn2,4 function as one unit by inducing the same set of target genes in overlapping conditions. Yet, the two-factor composition allows this unit's expression to be both environmentally responsive and with low noise, resolving an adaptive conflict that limits expression of single genes. We propose that duplication can provide adaptive benefit through cooperation rather than functional divergence, allowing two-factor dynamics with beneficial properties that cannot be achieved by a single gene.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Gene Duplication*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal
  • Genes, Duplicate
  • Poisson Distribution
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / chemistry
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / chemistry
  • Transcription Factors / genetics*
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • MSN2 protein, S cerevisiae
  • MSN4 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Transcription Factors

Grants and funding

Israel Science Foundation http://www.isf.org.il/#/ (grant 1738/15) received by NB. Minerva Center https://www.minerva.mpg.de/centers (grant AZ 57 46 9407 65) received by NB. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript