Uncovering Divergence in Gene Expression Regulation in the Adaptation of Yeast to Nitrogen Scarcity
Carlos A. Villarroel, Macarena Bastías, Paulo Canessa, Francisco A. Cubillos
Abstract
Historically, coding variants were prioritized when searching for causal mechanisms driving adaptation of natural populations to stressful environments. However, the recent focus on noncoding variants demonstrated their ubiquitous role in adaptation. Here, we performed genome-wide regulatory variation profiles between two divergent yeast strains when facing nitrogen nutritional stress. The open chromatin availability of several regulatory regions changes in response to nitrogen scarcity. Importantly, we describe regulatory events that deviate between strains. Our results demonstrate a widespread variation in gene expression regulation between naturally occurring populations in response to stressful environments.