It has been suggested that epigenetic switches first evolved as a mechanism of bet-hedging and adaptation to fluctuating environments. To discern the evolutionary pressures that select for epigenetic switches, Mariana Gomez-Schiavon used computer simulations to evolve a mechanistic, biophysical model of a self-activating genetic circuit (see figure), which can both adapt genetically and exhibit epigenetic switching. Unlike laboratory evolution experiments, this in silico experiment was run many times over a range of evolutionary parameters (population size, selection pressure, mutation step-size, fluctuation frequency) and different model assumptions to uncover statistical regularities in the evolutionary trajectories. Using this computational approach, we elucidate simple principles that predict the conditions that favor adaptation by epigenetic switching over genetic mutation in a fluctuating environment. Read more below:
- Gomez-Schiavon M, Buchler NE. Epigenetic switching as a strategy for quick adaptation while attenuating biochemical noise. PLoS Computational Biology 15: e1007364 (2019).