Transient genotype-by-environment interactions following environmental shock provide a source of expression variation for essential genes.

Understanding complex genotype-by-environment interactions (GEIs) is crucial for understanding phenotypic variation. An important factor often overlooked in GEI studies is time. We measured the contribution of GEIs to expression variation in four nonlaboratory Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains responding dynamically to a 25 degrees -37 degrees heat shock. GEI was a major force explaining expression variation, affecting 55% of the genes analyzed. Importantly, almost half of these expression patterns showed GEI influence only during the transition between environments, but not in acclimated cells. This class reveals a genotype-by-environment-by-time interaction that affected expression of a large fraction of yeast genes. Strikingly, although transcripts subject to persistent GEI effects were enriched for nonessential genes with upstream TATA elements, those displaying transient GEIs were enriched for essential genes regardless of TATA regulation. Genes subject to persistent GEI influences showed relaxed constraint on acclimated gene expression compared to the average yeast gene, whereas genes restricted to transient GEIs did not. We propose that transient GEI during the transition between environments provides a previously unappreciated source of expression variation, particularly for essential genes.