Developmental nonlinearity drives phenotypic robustness

Rebecca M. Green; Jennifer L. Fish; Nathan M. Young; Francis J. Smith; Benjamin Roberts; Katie Dolan; Irene Choi; Courtney L. Leach; Paul Gordon; James M. Cheverud; Charles C. Roseman; Trevor J. Williams; Ralph S. Marcucio; Benedikt Hallgrímsson

doi:10.1038/s41467-017-02037-7

Nature Communications (Dec 2017)

Developmental nonlinearity drives phenotypic robustness

Rebecca M. Green,
Jennifer L. Fish,
Nathan M. Young,
Francis J. Smith,
Benjamin Roberts,
Katie Dolan,
Irene Choi,
Courtney L. Leach,
Paul Gordon,
James M. Cheverud,
Charles C. Roseman,
Trevor J. Williams,
Ralph S. Marcucio,
Benedikt Hallgrímsson

Affiliations

Rebecca M. Green: Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
Jennifer L. Fish: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Nathan M. Young: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco
Francis J. Smith: Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Benjamin Roberts: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Katie Dolan: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Irene Choi: Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Courtney L. Leach: Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
Paul Gordon: Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
James M. Cheverud: Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago
Charles C. Roseman: Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Trevor J. Williams: Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Ralph S. Marcucio: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco
Benedikt Hallgrímsson: Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and McCaig Bone and Joint Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02037-7
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Developmental processes often involve nonlinearities, but the consequences for translating genotype to phenotype are not well characterized. Here, Green et al. vary Fgf8 signaling across allelic series of mice and show that phenotypic robustness in craniofacial shape is explained by a nonlinear effect of Fgf8 expression.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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