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Post a Comment The specifically nonspecific stress from a genetic point of view: “Press – Stress – Gress” path
- Authors: Daev E.V.1,2
-
Affiliations:
- Saint Petersburg State University
- Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- Issue: Vol 23, No 3 (2025)
- Pages: 311-324
- Section: Opinions, discussions
- URL: https://journal-vniispk.ru/ecolgenet/article/view/361855
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/ecogen655848
- EDN: https://elibrary.ru/JQOGCK
- ID: 361855
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Abstract
The biological concept of “stress”, set out in the works of G. Selye, created an entire scientific direction. It has played and continues to play a major role in the development of biomedical research. Scientific progress leads to filling the term “stress” with new biological content at different levels of study. At the same time, unjustified expansion often leads to a blurring of the concept, clogging with “cryptic” terms that complicate the understanding of the phenomenon. The purpose of the work is to discuss some points that complicate or distort the scientific content of the term “stress”. It seems appropriate to consider stress as a non-specific marker of damage to the organism. It should not be used to describe various non-specific changes caused by routine strain that any living organism constantly experiences. From a genetic point of view, it is proposed to consider the stress phenomenon as a condition that occurs when the body is unable to adapt within the limits of its “reaction norm”, determined by the genotype. Destabilization (especially structural) of the mammalian genome induced by various factors should be considered as an inseparable sign of overstrain of the organism and the formation of stress. Attempts to adapt at the genomic level may lead to changes in the rate and direction of the evolutionary process. It is proposed to differentiate stress taking into account the classification of living organisms and the level of changes being studied.
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##article.viewOnOriginalSite##About the authors
Eugene V. Daev
Saint Petersburg State University; Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Author for correspondence.
Email: st004838@mail.spbu.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2036-6790
SPIN-code: 8926-6034
Dr. Sci. (Biology)
Russian Federation, 7–9 Universitetskaya emb., Saint Petersburg, 199034; Saint PetersburgReferences
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Fig. 1. Simplified diagram of the maintenance of normal vital functions. Fluctuations in environmental factors cause strain in the body, leading to intracellular changes, altered function of gene products, and the genome itself (within the genotype's "normal response"), which leads to the restoration of its homeostasis.
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Fig. 2. Diagram of the relationship between the concepts of “reaction norm” of the genotype (NR) and the “homeostatic range” of the organism (HR). The reaction norm (the boundaries are indicated by a solid line) is a function of the genotype and reflects the potential ability of the genotype G to form phenotypically (and genotypically) different organisms. The dynamically changing boundaries of HR (dotted line) reflect the real adaptive capabilities of a particular organism (in the case of a multicellular organism - the result of a specific interaction between specific environmental conditions and the genotype of the original zygote, that is, a function of (G × E). The zone of constantly changing stress, which accompanies the organism throughout its life, is marked in gray.
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Fig. 3. The concept of stress as a phenomenon that occurs when environmental conditions go beyond the homeostatic range of the organism (i.e., the “reaction norm”), determined by the interaction of its genotype with specific environmental conditions.
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Fig. 4. Changes in the homeostatic range (HR) of an organism with the G1 genotype under stress: a — under environmental conditions E1, which determine a narrow HR; b — under environmental conditions E2, which determine a wide HR. The broken line represents spontaneous fluctuations in environmental conditions. The dotted lines indicate the boundaries of the HR, within which the body functions normally. Everyday strain and stress are highlighted in light and dark gray, respectively. The stages of stress are identified (their duration may vary in each specific case): A (alarm); R (resistance); E (exhaustion); D (death) and death. In the case of a sufficiently wide NR and HR, death of the organism does not occur (B). However, stress-induced non-directional genetic changes (the emergence of new cell genotypes, Gn) lead to subsequent interdependent changes in NR and HR.
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Fig. 5. Schematic representation of stress as a reaction potentially leading to evolutionary transformations (using a single-celled organism as an example). G1 is the genotype; Ph1 is the phenotype (a specific realization of a given genotype); ΔPh=HR1 — possible phenotypic modifications within the framework of regulatory changes in the genome of an organism with the G1 genotype, which corresponds to the concept of the homeostatic range (HR) of this organism (HR1); Stress is a complex of non-specific genetic changes that occur when environmental conditions exceed the HR of a specific organism, determined by the interaction of its genotype with the environment. A, R, E, D are the stages of stress: Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion, and Death, respectively; ~ is the symbol for the changing genotype, phenotype, and homeostatic interval; G2 is the newly selected genotype, whose reaction norm allows the organism to adapt to the changed environmental conditions. It is this genotype that will subsequently reproduce preferentially. In a population of many somatic and germ cells, it is possible for many different genotypes to emerge, of which only those corresponding to the new environmental conditions will remain.
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