Hosted by: Sue Rhee
Evolution is thought to be driven by spontaneous genetic variants that are enriched during times of stress. However, selection operates on phenotypes rather than genotypes. Thus, any means of generating heritable diversity has the potential to fuel innovation. We have recently discovered that environmental stimuli commonly induce self-perpetuating changes in protein conformation. Corresponding changes in function are heritable across generations. These traits are often beneficial, have prion-like patterns of inheritance, are common in nature, and can be transmitted to naïve cells with protein alone. Most inducing proteins were not known prions and did not form amyloid. Instead, they are highly enriched in nucleic acid binding proteins with large intrinsically disordered domains that have been widely conserved across evolution. Our data thus establish a common type of protein-based inheritance through which intrinsically disordered proteins can drive the emergence of new traits and adaptive opportunities.