scholarly journals Paul Kammerer and epigenetics – a reappraisal of his experiments

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Michael Nahm
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Original Writings ◽  
Scientific Interest ◽  
Paul Kammerer ◽  
Proteus Anguinus ◽  
Salamandra Salamandra

Abstract During recent years, the scientific interest in the work of Austrian biologist Paul Kammerer (1880‒1926) has risen again. This development can largely be attributed to advances in the fields of epigenetics and epigenetic inheritance, and it resulted in provocative discussions. This article contributes to enhancing the knowledge about Kammerer’s publications in two respects. First, I provide a brief overview and contextualization of Kammerer’s main works on phenotypic plasticity and its inheritance, some of which seem little known at present. Thereafter, to ensure an accurate transmission of the historical record, I comment on recently published suggestive information about what Kammerer did and wrote, chiefly referring to Kammerer’s original writings on fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) and cave salamanders (Proteus anguinus). Although the exact contents of Kammerer’s writings remain controversial and must be regarded with caution, his writings need to be treated objectively and accurately to avoid historical record distortion and to render the performance of adequate replications of his experiments possible.

scholarly journals Speciation, Phenotypic Variation and Plasticity: What Can Endocrine Disruptors Tell Us?

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Braulio Ayala-García ◽  
Marta López-Santibáñez Guevara ◽  
Lluvia I. Marcos-Camacho ◽  
Alma L. Fuentes-Farías ◽  
Esperanza Meléndez-Herrera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Endocrine Disruptors ◽  
Gene Transcription ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Phenotypic Variability ◽  
Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
Genetic Mutations ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Epigenetic Memory ◽  
Epigenetic Modulation

Phenotype variability, phenotypic plasticity, and the inheritance of phenotypic traits constitute the fundamental ground of processes such as individuation, individual and species adaptation and ultimately speciation. Even though traditional evolutionary thinking relies on genetic mutations as the main source of intra- and interspecies phenotypic variability, recent studies suggest that the epigenetic modulation of gene transcription and translation, epigenetic memory, and epigenetic inheritance are by far the most frequent reliable sources of transgenerational variability among viable individuals within and across organismal species. Therefore, individuation and speciation should be considered as nonmutational epigenetic phenomena.

Functional amyloid: widespread in Nature, diverse in purpose

2014 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 207-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi L.L. Pham ◽  
Ann H. Kwan ◽  
Margaret Sunde
Keyword(s):  
Spider Silk ◽  
Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
Fibrillar Structure ◽  
Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation ◽  
Functional Amyloid ◽  
Interacting Protein ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Element Binding Protein ◽  
Functional Amyloids ◽  
Micro Organisms

Amyloids are insoluble fibrillar protein deposits with an underlying cross-β structure initially discovered in the context of human diseases. However, it is now clear that the same fibrillar structure is used by many organisms, from bacteria to humans, in order to achieve a diverse range of biological functions. These functions include structure and protection (e.g. curli and chorion proteins, and insect and spider silk proteins), aiding interface transitions and cell–cell recognition (e.g. chaplins, rodlins and hydrophobins), protein control and storage (e.g. Microcin E492, modulins and PMEL), and epigenetic inheritance and memory [e.g. Sup35, Ure2p, HET-s and CPEB (cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein)]. As more examples of functional amyloid come to light, the list of roles associated with functional amyloids has continued to expand. More recently, amyloids have also been implicated in signal transduction [e.g. RIP1/RIP3 (receptor-interacting protein)] and perhaps in host defence [e.g. aDrs (anionic dermaseptin) peptide]. The present chapter discusses in detail functional amyloids that are used in Nature by micro-organisms, non-mammalian animals and mammals, including the biological roles that they play, their molecular composition and how they assemble, as well as the coping strategies that organisms have evolved to avoid the potential toxicity of functional amyloid.

How do histone modifications contribute to transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in C. elegans?

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 1019-1034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Woodhouse ◽  
Alyson Ashe
Keyword(s):  
Histone Modifications ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Histone Methyltransferases ◽  
Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Gene Regulatory

Gene regulatory information can be inherited between generations in a phenomenon termed transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI). While examples of TEI in many animals accumulate, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has proven particularly useful in investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon. In C. elegans and other animals, the modification of histone proteins has emerged as a potential carrier and effector of transgenerational epigenetic information. In this review, we explore the contribution of histone modifications to TEI in C. elegans. We describe the role of repressive histone marks, histone methyltransferases, and associated chromatin factors in heritable gene silencing, and discuss recent developments and unanswered questions in how these factors integrate with other known TEI mechanisms. We also review the transgenerational effects of the manipulation of histone modifications on germline health and longevity.

Ecology and biogeography in the introduction to “De bestiis marinis” by Georg Wilhelm Steller

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-74
Author(s):  
Stefano Mattioli
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Main Part ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Restricted Range ◽  
Direct Influence ◽  
Modern Biology

The rediscovery of the original, unedited Latin manuscript of Georg Wilhelm Steller's “De bestiis marinis” (“On marine mammals”), first published in 1751, calls for a new translation into English. The main part of the treatise contains detailed descriptions of four marine mammals, but the introduction is devoted to more general issues, including innovative speculation on morphology, ecology and biogeography, anticipating arguments and concepts of modern biology. Steller noted early that climate and food have a direct influence on body size, pelage and functional traits of mammals, potentially affecting reversible changes (phenotypic plasticity). Feeding and other behavioural habits have an impact on the geographical distribution of mammals. Species with a broad diet tend to have a wide distribution, whereas animals with a narrow diet more likely have only a restricted range. According to Steller, both sea and land then still concealed countless animals unknown to science.

The Disinherited in Shakespeare’s Plays

Moreana ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 45 (Number 173) (1) ◽  
pp. 167-174
Author(s):  
Peter Milward
Keyword(s):  
William Shakespeare ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
English History ◽  
The World ◽  
End Of The World

In conjunction with the current “revisionism” of English history from a Catholic viewpoint, it is time to undertake a corresponding revision of the plays and personality of William Shakespeare. For this purpose it is not enough to rest content with the meagre historical record, but we have to go ahead in the light of recusant history with a reinterpretation of the plays, considering the extent to which they lend themselves to the Catholic viewpoint. This is not merely a matter of nostalgia for the mediaeval past, but it looks above all to the present sufferings of the “disinherited” English Catholics — in the light of the continued presence of Christ who is suffering, as Pascal famously noted, in his faithful even till the end of the world.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document