scholarly journals A mutational hotspot that determines highly repeatable evolution can be built and broken by silent genetic changes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Horton ◽  
Louise M. Flanagan ◽  
Robert W. Jackson ◽  
Nicholas K. Priest ◽  
Tiffany B. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽  
Mutation Rate ◽  
De Novo ◽  
De Novo Mutation ◽  
Rate Heterogeneity ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Mutational Hotspots ◽  
Minimal Media

AbstractMutational hotspots can determine evolutionary outcomes and make evolution repeatable. Hotspots are products of multiple evolutionary forces including mutation rate heterogeneity, but this variable is often hard to identify. In this work, we reveal that a near-deterministic genetic hotspot can be built and broken by a handful of silent mutations. We observe this when studying homologous immotile variants of the bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens, AR2 and Pf0-2x. AR2 resurrects motility through highly repeatable de novo mutation of the same nucleotide in >95% lines in minimal media (ntrB A289C). Pf0-2x, however, evolves via a number of mutations meaning the two strains diverge significantly during adaptation. We determine that this evolutionary disparity is owed to just 6 synonymous variations within the ntrB locus, which we demonstrate by swapping the sites and observing that we are able to both break (>95% to 0%) and build (0% to 80%) a deterministic mutational hotspot. Our work reveals a key role for silent genetic variation in determining adaptive outcomes.

scholarly journals Direct estimate of the spontaneous mutation rate uncovers the effects of drift and recombination in theChlamydomonas reinhardtiiplastid genome

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob W Ness ◽  
Susanne A Kraemer ◽  
Nick Colegrave ◽  
Peter D Keightley
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Genetic Drift ◽  
Plastid Genome ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Spontaneous Mutation ◽  
Genome Structure ◽  
Nuclear Genome ◽  
De Novo Mutation ◽  
Direct Estimate ◽  
Plastid Genomes

Plastids perform crucial cellular functions, including photosynthesis, across a wide variety of eukaryotes. Since endosymbiosis, plastids have maintained independent genomes that now display a wide diversity of gene content, genome structure, gene regulation mechanisms, and transmission modes. The evolution of plastid genomes depends on an input ofde novomutation, but our knowledge of mutation in the plastid is limited to indirect inference from patterns of DNA divergence between species. Here, we use a mutation accumulation experiment, where selection acting on mutations is rendered ineffective, combined with whole-plastid genome sequencing to directly characterize de novo mutation inChlamydomonas reinhardtii. We show that the mutation rates of the plastid and nuclear genomes are similar, but that the base spectra of mutations differ significantly. We integrate our measure of the mutation rate with a population genomic dataset of 20 individuals, and show that the plastid genome is subject to substantially stronger genetic drift than the nuclear genome. We also show that high levels of linkage disequilibrium in the plastid genome are not due to restricted recombination, but are instead a consequence of increased genetic drift. One likely explanation for increased drift in the plastid genome is that there are stronger effects of genetic hitchhiking. The presence of recombination in the plastid is consistent with laboratory studies inC. reinhardtiiand demonstrates that although the plastid genome is thought to be uniparentally inherited, it recombines in nature at a rate similar to the nuclear genome.

scholarly journals NIMBus: a Negative Binomial Regression based Integrative Method for Mutation Burden Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Jason Liu ◽  
Patrick McGillivray ◽  
Caroline Yi ◽  
Lucas Lochovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Rate Heterogeneity ◽  
Mutation Burden ◽  
Binomial Regression ◽  
Mutational Hotspots ◽  
Dna Elements ◽  
Integrative Method

ABSTRACTBackgroundIdentifying frequently mutated regions is a key approach to discover DNA elements influencing cancer progression. However, it is challenging to identify these burdened regions due to mutation rate heterogeneity across the genome and across different individuals. Moreover, it is known that this heterogeneity partially stems from genomic confounding factors, such as replication timing and chromatin organization. The increasing availability of cancer whole genome sequences and functional genomics data from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) may help address these issues.ResultsWe developed a Negative binomial regression-based Integrative Method for mutation Burden analysiS (NIMBus). Our approach addresses the over-dispersion of mutation count statistics by (1) using a Gamma-Poisson mixture model to capture the mutation-rate heterogeneity across different individuals and (2) estimating regional background mutation rates by regressing the varying local mutation counts against genomic features extracted from ENCODE.We applied NIMBus to whole-genome cancer sequences from the PanCancer Analysis of Whole Genomes project (PCAWG) and other cohorts. It successfully identified well-known coding and noncoding drivers, such as TP53 and the TERT promoter. To further characterize the burdening of non-coding regions, we used NIMBus to screen transcription factor binding sites in promoter regions that intersect DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs). This analysis identified mutational hotspots that potentially disrupt gene regulatory networks in cancer. We also compare this method to other mutation burden analysis methods.ConclusionNIMBus is a powerful tool to identify mutational hotspots. The NIMBus software and results are available as an online resource at github.gersteinlab.org/nimbus.

Empirical investigation of mutation rate for herbicide resistance

Weed Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 361-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico A. Casale ◽  
Darci A. Giacomini ◽  
Patrick J. Tranel
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Herbicide Resistance ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Theoretical Calculations ◽  
Acetolactate Synthase ◽  
De Novo Mutation ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Sources Of Resistance ◽  
Resistant Mutants

AbstractIn a predictable natural selection process, herbicides select for adaptive alleles that allow weed populations to survive. These resistance alleles may be available immediately from the standing genetic variation within the population or may arise from immigration via pollen or seeds from other populations. Moreover, because all populations are constantly generating new mutant genotypes by de novo mutations, resistant mutants may arise spontaneously in any herbicide-sensitive weed population. Recognizing that the relative contribution of each of these three sources of resistance alleles influences what strategies should be applied to counteract herbicide-resistance evolution, we aimed to add experimental information to the resistance evolutionary framework. Specifically, the objectives of this experiment were to determine the de novo mutation rate conferring herbicide resistance in a natural plant population and to test the hypothesis that the mutation rate increases when plants are stressed by sublethal herbicide exposure. We used grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) and resistance to acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides as a model system to discover spontaneous herbicide-resistant mutants. After screening 70.8 million plants, however, we detected no spontaneous resistant genotypes, indicating the probability of finding a spontaneous ALS-resistant mutant in a given sensitive population is lower than 1.4 × 10−8. This empirically determined upper limit is lower than expected from theoretical calculations based on previous studies. We found no evidence that herbicide stress increased the mutation rate, but were not able to robustly test this hypothesis. The results found in this study indicate that de novo mutations conferring herbicide resistance might occur at lower frequencies than previously expected.

scholarly journals Love the one you’re with: replicate viral adaptations converge on the same phenotypic change

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig R. Miller ◽  
Anna C. Nagel ◽  
LuAnn Scott ◽  
Matt Settles ◽  
Paul Joyce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Phenotypic Change ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Promoter Mutation ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Parallel Change ◽  
The One

Parallelism is important because it reveals how inherently stochastic adaptation is. Even as we come to better understand evolutionary forces, stochasticity limits how well we can predict evolutionary outcomes. Here we sought to quantify parallelism and some of its underlying causes by adapting a bacteriophage (ID11) with nine different first-step mutations, each with eight-fold replication, for 100 passages. This was followed by whole-genome sequencing five isolates from each endpoint. A large amount of variation arose—281 mutational events occurred representing 112 unique mutations. At least 41% of the mutations and 77% of the events were adaptive. Within wells, populations generally experienced complex interference dynamics. The genome locations and counts of mutations were highly uneven: mutations were concentrated in two regulatory elements and three genes and, while 103 of the 112 (92%) of the mutations were observed in ≤4 wells, a few mutations arose many times. 91% of the wells and 81% of the isolates had a mutation in the D-promoter. Parallelism was moderate compared to previous experiments with this system. On average, wells shared 27% of their mutations at the DNA level and 38% when the definition of parallel change is expanded to include the same regulatory feature or residue. About half of the parallelism came from D-promoter mutations. Background had a small but significant effect on parallelism. Similarly, an analyses of epistasis between mutations and their ancestral background was significant, but the result was mostly driven by four individual mutations. A second analysis of epistasis focused on de novo mutations revealed that no isolate ever had more than one D-promoter mutation and that 56 of the 65 isolates lacking a D-promoter mutation had a mutation in genes D and/or E. We assayed time to lysis in four of these mutually exclusive mutations (the two most frequent D-promoter and two in gene D) across four genetic backgrounds. In all cases lysis was delayed. We postulate that because host cells were generally rare (i.e., high multiplicity of infection conditions developed), selection favored phage that delayed lysis to better exploit their current host (i.e., ‘love the one you’re with’). Thus, the vast majority of wells (at least 64 of 68, or 94%) arrived at the same phenotypic solution, but through a variety of genetic changes. We conclude that answering questions about the range of possible adaptive trajectories, parallelism, and the predictability of evolution requires attention to the many biological levels where the process of adaptation plays out.

scholarly journals De novo mutations across 1,465 diverse genomes reveal novel mutational insights and reductions in the Amish founder population

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Kessler ◽  
Douglas P. Loesch ◽  
James A. Perry ◽  
Nancy L. Heard-Costa ◽  
Brian E. Cade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Mutation Rate ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Mutation Rates ◽  
Founder Population ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Nucleotide Mutation ◽  
Rare Genetic Variation

Abstractde novo Mutations (DNMs), or mutations that appear in an individual despite not being seen in their parents, are an important source of genetic variation whose impact is relevant to studies of human evolution, genetics, and disease. Utilizing high-coverage whole genome sequencing data as part of the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program, we directly estimate and analyze DNM counts, rates, and spectra from 1,465 trios across an array of diverse human populations. Using the resulting call set of 86,865 single nucleotide DNMs, we find a significant positive correlation between local recombination rate and local DNM rate, which together can explain up to 35.5% of the genome-wide variation in population level rare genetic variation from 41K unrelated TOPMed samples. While genome-wide heterozygosity does correlate weakly with DNM count, we do not find significant differences in DNM rate between individuals of European, African, and Latino ancestry, nor across ancestrally distinct segments within admixed individuals. However, interestingly, we do find significantly fewer DNMs in Amish individuals compared with other Europeans, even after accounting for parental age and sequencing center. Specifically, we find significant reductions in the number of T→C mutations in the Amish, which seems to underpin their overall reduction in DNMs. Finally, we calculate near-zero estimates of narrow sense heritability (h2), which suggest that variation in DNM rate is significantly shaped by non-additive genetic effects and/or the environment, and that a less mutagenic environment may be responsible for the reduced DNM rate in the Amish.SignificanceHere we provide one of the largest and most diverse human de novo mutation (DNM) call sets to date, and use it to quantify the genome-wide relationship between local mutation rate and population-level rare genetic variation. While we demonstrate that the human single nucleotide mutation rate is similar across numerous human ancestries and populations, we also discover a reduced mutation rate in the Amish founder population, which shows that mutation rates can shift rapidly. Finally, we find that variation in mutation rates is not heritable, which suggests that the environment may influence mutation rates more significantly than previously realized.

scholarly journals Direct Measure of the De Novo Mutation Rate in Autism and Schizophrenia Cohorts

2010 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Awadalla ◽  
Julie Gauthier ◽  
Rachel A. Myers ◽  
Ferran Casals ◽  
Fadi F. Hamdan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
De Novo ◽  
De Novo Mutation ◽  
Direct Measure

scholarly journals Spontaneous mutations and transmission distortions of genic copy number variants shape the standing genetic variation in Picea glauca

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atef Sahli ◽  
Isabelle Giguére ◽  
Jean Bousquet ◽  
John MacKay
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Snp Array ◽  
Copy Number Variations ◽  
Spontaneous Mutations ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Gene Space ◽  
Transmission Distortions

AbstractCopy number variations (CNVs) are large genetic variations detected among the individuals of every multicellular organism examined so far. These variations are believed to play an important role in the evolution and adaptation of species. In plants, little is known about the characteristics of CNVs, particularly regarding the rates at which they are generated and the mechanics of their transmission from a generation to the next. Here, we used SNP-array raw intensity data for 55 two-generations families (3663 individuals) to scan the gene space of the conifer tree Picea glauca (Moench) Voss for CNVs. We were particularly interested in the abundance, inheritance, spontaneous mutation rate spectrum and the evolutionary consequences they may have on the standing genetic variation of white spruce. Our findings show that CNVs affect a small proportion of the gene space and are predominantly copy number losses. CNVs were either inherited or generated through de novo events. De novo CNVs present high rates of spontaneous mutations that vary for different genes and alleles and are correlated with gene expression levels. Most of the inherited CNVs (70%) are transmitted from the parents in violation of Mendelian expectations. These transmission distortions can cause considerable frequency changes between generations and be dependent on whether the heterozygote parents contribute as male or female. Transmission distortions were also influenced by the partner genotype and the parents’ genetic background. This study provides new insights into the effects of different evolutionary forces on copy number variations based on the analysis of a perennial plant.

scholarly journals Antibiotic treatment enhances the genome-wide mutation rate of target cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (18) ◽  
pp. E2498-E2505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongan Long ◽  
Samuel F. Miller ◽  
Chloe Strauss ◽  
Chaoxian Zhao ◽  
Lei Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
De Novo ◽  
De Novo Mutation ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Invasive Pathogens ◽  
Dna Mismatch ◽  
Damage Repair ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Enhanced Expression

Although it is well known that microbial populations can respond adaptively to challenges from antibiotics, empirical difficulties in distinguishing the roles of de novo mutation and natural selection have left several issues unresolved. Here, we explore the mutational properties ofEscherichia coliexposed to long-term sublethal levels of the antibiotic norfloxacin, using a mutation accumulation design combined with whole-genome sequencing of replicate lines. The genome-wide mutation rate significantly increases with norfloxacin concentration. This response is associated with enhanced expression of error-prone DNA polymerases and may also involve indirect effects of norfloxacin on DNA mismatch and oxidative-damage repair. Moreover, we find that acquisition of antibiotic resistance can be enhanced solely by accelerated mutagenesis, i.e., without direct involvement of selection. Our results suggest that antibiotics may generally enhance the mutation rates of target cells, thereby accelerating the rate of adaptation not only to the antibiotic itself but to additional challenges faced by invasive pathogens.

scholarly journals De novo mutation rates at the single-mutation resolution in a human HBB gene-region associated with adaptation and genetic disease

2022 ◽  
pp. gr.276103.121
Author(s):  
Daniel Melamed ◽  
Yuval Nov ◽  
Assaf Malik ◽  
Michael B Yakass ◽  
Evgeni Bolotin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
De Novo Mutation ◽  
Mutation Rates ◽  
Single Mutation ◽  
Random Mutation ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Specific Manner

While it is known that the mutation rate varies across the genome, previous estimates were based on averaging across various numbers of positions. Here we describe a method to measure the origination rates of target mutations at target base positions and apply it to a 6-bp region in the human hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB) gene and to the identical, paralogous hemoglobin subunit delta (HBD) region in sperm cells from both African and European donors. The HBB region of interest (ROI) includes the site of the hemoglobin S (HbS) mutation, which protects against malaria, is common in Africa and has served as a classic example of adaptation by random mutation and natural selection. We found a significant correspondence between de novo mutation rates and past observations of alleles in carriers, showing that mutation rates vary substantially in a mutation-specific manner that contributes to the site frequency spectrum. We also found that the overall point mutation rate is significantly higher in Africans than in Europeans in the HBB region studied. Finally, the rate of the 20A→T mutation, called the 'HbS mutation' when it appears in HBB, is significantly higher than expected from the genome-wide average for this mutation type. Nine instances were observed in the African HBB ROI, where it is of adaptive significance, representing at least three independent originations; no instances were observed elsewhere. Further studies will be needed to examine mutation rates at the single-mutation resolution across these and other loci and organisms and to uncover the molecular mechanisms responsible.

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