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The (new) new synthesis and epigenetic capacitors of morphological evolution

Nature Genetics volume 43, pages 88–89 (2011)Cite this article

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A new study shows that the piRNA-binding protein Piwi interacts with Hsp90 and suppresses phenotypic variation in Drosophila melanogaster by preventing the expression of hidden epigenetic variation. This suggests that Hsp90 and Piwi function are dampened in times of stress to increase genetic and epigenetic variability, providing a last-ditch mechanism for a species to survive.

In 1942, Julian Huxley wrote an influential book, Evolution: The Modern Synthesis, that influenced generations of geneticists1. The basis of the 'modern synthesis', also called the 'new synthesis', is that it reconciles Mendelian genetics with gradual evolution by means of natural selection of existing genetic variation. Now, on page 153 of this issue, Haifan Lin and colleagues report the existence of mechanisms that normally prevent the expression of hidden epigenetic variation2, suggesting that the new synthesis should be expanded to incorporate both genetic and epigenetic sources of variation on which selection can act.

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Figure 1: Proposed model of Hsp90- and Piwi-mediated suppression of variation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Douglas M. Ruden is at the Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.,

    Douglas M Ruden

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  1. Douglas M Ruden
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Correspondence to Douglas M Ruden.

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Ruden, D. The (new) new synthesis and epigenetic capacitors of morphological evolution. Nat Genet 43, 88–89 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0211-88

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