Mueller Sarah A, Merondun Justin, Lečić Sonja, Wolf Jochen B W
Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
Department of Microevolution and Biodiversity, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jan 25;16(1):1028. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-55989-6.
The evolutionary impact of epigenetic variation depends on its transgenerational stability and source - whether genetically determined, environmentally induced, or due to spontaneous, genotype-independent mutations. Here, we evaluate current approaches for investigating an independent role of epigenetics in evolution, pinpointing methodological challenges. We further identify opportunities arising from integrating epigenetic data with population genetic analyses in natural populations. Efforts to advance data quality, study design, and statistical treatment are encouraged to consolidate our understanding of the source of heritable epigenetic variation, quantify its autonomous potential for evolution, and enrich population genetic analyses with an additional layer of information.
表观遗传变异的进化影响取决于其跨代稳定性和来源——无论是由基因决定的、环境诱导的，还是由于自发的、与基因型无关的突变。在这里，我们评估了当前用于研究表观遗传学在进化中独立作用的方法，指出了方法上的挑战。我们进一步确定了在自然种群中将表观遗传数据与群体遗传分析相结合所产生的机会。鼓励努力提高数据质量、研究设计和统计处理，以巩固我们对可遗传表观遗传变异来源的理解，量化其自主进化潜力，并通过额外的信息层丰富群体遗传分析。
