Epigenetics Complements and Challenges Darwinian Evolution: From Gene Regulation to the Study of Species Adaptation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61173/shh7xv62Keywords:
Epigenetics, Darwinian Evolution, Genetic Variation, Gene Expression RegulationAbstract
This paper delves into the role of epigenetics in complementing and challenging Darwinian evolution theory within the field of evolution. Epigenetics has revealed new sources of genetic variation, with epigenetic variations such as DNA methylation and histone modifications capable of influencing gene expression without altering DNA sequences. These variations can spread and accumulate within populations, exhibiting reversibility and dynamism, enabling species to rapidly adapt to environmental changes. Additionally, epigenetics expands the scope of natural selection, revises the patterns of genetic information flow, and highlights the need for updated evolutionary predictive models. Researchers have proposed theoretical integration pathways such as the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis framework, multilevel selection theory, and gene-epigenome coevolution models, offering new perspectives and directions for evolutionary biology research.
References
[1] Mayr, E. (1982). The growth of biological thought: Diversity, evolution, and inheritance. Harvard University Press.
[2] Dobzhansky, T. (1937). Genetic nature of species differences. The American Naturalist, 71(735), 404-420.
[3] Gould, S. J. (1980). The evolutionary biology of constraint. Daedalus, 39-52.
[4] Kimura, M. (1968). Evolutionary rate at the molecular level. Nature, 217(5129), 624-626.
[5] Pigliucci, M. (2007). Do we need an extended evolutionary synthesis?. Evolution, 61(12), 2743-2749.
[6] Carroll, S. B. (2005). Evolution at two levels: on genes and form. PLoS biology, 3(7), e245.
[7] Koonin, E. V. (2011). The logic of chance: the nature and origin of biological evolution. FT press.
[8] Dias, B. G., & Ressler, K. J. (2014). Parental olfactory experience influences behavior and neural structure in subsequent generations. Nature neuroscience, 17(1), 89-96.
[9] Deans, C., & Maggert, K. A. (2015). What do you mean,“epigenetic”?. Genetics, 199(4), 887-896.
[10] Dai, W., Qiao, X., Fang, Y., Guo, R., Bai, P., Liu, S., ... & Li, D. (2024). Epigenetics-targeted drugs: current paradigms and future challenges. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 9(1), 332.
[11] Esteller, M., Dawson, M. A., Kadoch, C., Rassool, F. V., Jones, P. A., & Baylin, S. B. (2024). The epigenetic hallmarks of cancer. Cancer discovery, 14(10), 1783-1809.
[12] Mostafavi Abdolmaleky, H., & Zhou, J. R. (2024). Gut microbiota dysbiosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and epigenetic alterations in metabolic diseases. Antioxidants, 13(8), 985.
[13] Lossi, L., Castagna, C., & Merighi, A. (2024). An overview of the epigenetic modifications in the brain under normal and pathological conditions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(7), 3881.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 by the authors.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
