On the origin and nature of nongenetic information in eumetazoans
- 8 May 2023
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 1525 (1), 104-127
- https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15001
Abstract
Nongenetic information implies all the forms of biological information not related to genes and DNA in general. Despite the deep scientific relevance of the concept, we currently lack reliable knowledge about its carriers and origins; hence, we still do not understand its true nature. Given that genes are the targets of nongenetic information, it appears that a parsimonious approach to find the ultimate source of that information is to trace back the sequential steps of the causal chain upstream of the target genes up to the ultimate link as the source of the nongenetic information. From this perspective, I examine seven nongenetically determined phenomena: placement of locus-specific epigenetic marks on DNA and histones, changes in snRNA expression patterns, neural induction of gene expression, site-specific alternative gene splicing, predator-induced morphological changes, and cultural inheritance. Based on the available evidence, I propose a general model of the common neural origin of all these forms of nongenetic information in eumetazoans.Keywords
This publication has 286 references indexed in Scilit:
- SAM68 Regulates Neuronal Activity-Dependent Alternative Splicing of Neurexin-1Cell, 2011
- Neuronal activity regulates glutamate transporter dynamics in developing astrocytesGlia, 2011
- Mechanisms of ATP-dependent nucleosome slidingCurrent Opinion in Structural Biology, 2010
- Characterization of Small RNAs in Aplysia Reveals a Role for miR-124 in Constraining Synaptic Plasticity through CREBNeuron, 2009
- Neuronal activity rapidly induces transcription of the CREB‐regulated microRNA‐132, in vivoHippocampus, 2009
- Decoding the Epigenetic Language of Neuronal PlasticityNeuron, 2008
- Specific interaction between Sam68 and neuronal mRNAs: Implication for the activity‐dependent biosynthesis of elongation factor eEF1AJournal of Neuroscience Research, 2008
- The MicroRNA miR-124 Promotes Neuronal Differentiation by Triggering Brain-Specific Alternative Pre-mRNA SplicingMolecular Cell, 2007
- microRNA Modulation of Circadian-Clock Period and EntrainmentNeuron, 2007
- Arc/Arg3.1 Mediates Homeostatic Synaptic Scaling of AMPA ReceptorsNeuron, 2006