Predictive adaptive response

A predictive adaptive response (PAR) is a developmental trajectory taken by an organism during a period of developmental plasticity in response to perceived environmental cues.[1] This PAR does not confer an immediate advantage to the developing organism; however, if the PAR correctly anticipates the postnatal environment it will be advantageous in later life, if the environment the organism is born into differs from that anticipated by the PAR it will result in a mismatch.[2] Examples of PARs include greater helmet development in Daphnia cucullata in response to maternal exposure to predator pheromones,[3] coat thickness determination in vole pups by the photoperiod length experienced by the mother,[4] and the tendency of humans that experienced maternal undernutrition in utero to become glucose intolerant and develop type II diabetes in later life as described in the thrifty phenotype hypothesis.[5] PARs are thought to occur through epigenetic mechanisms that alter gene expression, such as DNA methylation and histone modification, and do not involve changes to the DNA sequence of the developing organism.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Low, F.M., Gluckman, P.D., Hanson, M.A.: Developmental Plasticity, Epigenetics and Human Health. Evol. Biol. 39, 650-665 (2012)
  2. ↑ Godfrey, K.M., Lillycrop, K.A., Burdge, G.C., Gluckman, P.D., Hanson, M.A.: Epigenetic mechanisms and the mismatch concept of the developmental origins of health and disease. Pediatr. Res. 61, 5R-10R (2007)
  3. ↑ Agrawal, A.A., Laforsch, C., Tollrian, R.: Transgenerational induction of defences in animals and plants. Nature. 401, 60-63 (1999)
  4. ↑ Lee, T.M., Zucker, I.: Vole infant development is influenced perinatally by maternal photoperiodic history. Am. J. Physiol. 255, R831-R838 (1988)
  5. ↑ Hales, C.N., Barker, D.J.P.: Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus: the thrifty phenotype hypothesis. Diabetologia. 35, 595-601 (1992)
  6. ↑ Tammen, S.A., Friso, S., Choi, S.W.: Epigenetics: The link between nature and nurture. Mol. Aspects Med. 34, 753-764 (2013)


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