Data from: The impact of gene expression variation on robustness and evolvability of a developmental gene regulatory network

Regulatory interactions buffer development against genetic and environmental perturbations, but adaptation requires phenotypes to change. We investigated the relationship between robustness and evolvability within the gene regulatory network underlying development of the larval skeleton in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. We find extensive variation in gene expression in this network throughout development in a natural population, some of which has a heritable genetic basis. Switch-like regulatory interactions predominate during early development, buffer expression variation, and may promote the accumulation of cryptic genetic variation affecting early stages. Regulatory interactions during later development are typically more sensitive (linear), allowing variation in expression to affect downstream target genes. Variation in skeletal morphology is associated primarily with expression variation of a few, primarily structural, genes at terminal positions within the network. These results indicate that the position and properties of gene interactions within a network can have important evolutionary consequences independent of their immediate regulatory role.调控相互作用可缓冲发育过程中的遗传与环境扰动，而适应性进化则要求表型发生改变。本研究以紫海胆（Strongylocentrotus purpuratus）幼虫骨骼发育所支撑的基因调控网络为研究对象，探究了稳健性与可演化性之间的关联。我们在自然种群的发育全程中，观测到该网络内基因表达存在广泛变异，其中部分变异具有可遗传的遗传基础。发育早期以开关型调控相互作用为主导，这类相互作用可缓冲表达变异，或可促进影响早期发育阶段的隐蔽遗传变异积累。发育后期的调控相互作用通常更具敏感性（呈线性特征），使得表达变异能够影响下游靶基因。骨骼形态变异主要与网络末端少数基因的表达变异相关，这类基因多为结构基因。上述结果表明，网络内基因相互作用的位置与属性，可脱离其直接的调控功能，产生重要的进化效应。