scholarly journals Extensivede novomutation rate variation between individuals and across the genome ofChlamydomonas reinhardtii

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob W Ness ◽  
Andrew D Morgan ◽  
Radhakrishnan B Vasanthakrishnan ◽  
Nick Colegrave ◽  
Peter D Keightley
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Spontaneous Mutation ◽  
Gc Content ◽  
Rate Variation ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Local Sequence ◽  
Wild Strains ◽  
Genomic Regions

Describing the process of spontaneous mutation is fundamental for understanding the genetic basis of disease, the threat posed by declining population size in conservation biology, and in much evolutionary biology. However, directly studying spontaneous mutation is difficult because of the rarity of de novo mutations. Mutation accumulation (MA) experiments overcome this by allowing mutations to build up over many generations in the near absence of natural selection. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of 85 MA lines derived from six genetically diverse wild strains of the green algaChlamydomonas reinhardtii. We identified 6,843 spontaneous mutations, more than any other study of spontaneous mutation. We observed seven-fold variation in the mutation rate among strains and that mutator genotypes arose, increasing the mutation rate dramatically in some replicates. We also found evidence for fine-scale heterogeneity in the mutation rate, driven largely by the sequence flanking mutated sites, and by clusters of multiple mutations at closely linked sites. There was little evidence, however, for mutation rate heterogeneity between chromosomes or over large genomic regions of 200Kbp. Using logistic regression, we generated a predictive model of the mutability of sites based on their genomic properties, including local GC content, gene expression level and local sequence context. Our model accurately predicted the average mutation rate and natural levels of genetic diversity of sites across the genome. Notably, trinucleotides vary 17-fold in rate between the most mutable and least mutable sites. Our results uncover a rich heterogeneity in the process of spontaneous mutation both among individuals and across the genome.

scholarly journals Mutation bias shapes gene evolution in Arabidopsis thaliana

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Grey Monroe ◽  
Thanvi Srikant ◽  
Pablo Carbonell-Bejerano ◽  
Moises Exposito-Alonso ◽  
Mao-Lun Weng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Gene Evolution ◽  
Gc Content ◽  
Mutation Rates ◽  
Rate Variation ◽  
Recent Theory ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Mutational Hotspots

Classical evolutionary theory maintains that mutation rate variation between genes should be random with respect to fitness 1–4 and evolutionary optimization of genic mutation rates remains controversial 3,5. However, it has now become known that cytogenetic (DNA sequence + epigenomic) features influence local mutation probabilities 6, which is predicted by more recent theory to be a prerequisite for beneficial mutation rates between different classes of genes to readily evolve 7. To test this possibility, we used de novo mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana to create a high resolution predictive model of mutation rates as a function of cytogenetic features across the genome. As expected, mutation rates are significantly predicted by features such as GC content, histone modifications, and chromatin accessibility. Deeper analyses of predicted mutation rates reveal effects of introns and untranslated exon regions in distancing coding sequences from mutational hotspots at the start and end of transcribed regions in A. thaliana. Finally, predicted coding region mutation rates are significantly lower in genes where mutations are more likely to be deleterious, supported by numerous estimates of evolutionary and functional constraint. These findings contradict neutral expectations that mutation probabilities are independent of fitness consequences. Instead they are consistent with the evolution of lower mutation rates in functionally constrained loci due to cytogenetic features, with important implications for evolutionary biology8.

scholarly journals Nucleosome positioning stability is a significant modulator of germline mutation rate variation across the human genome

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cai Li ◽  
Nicholas M. Luscombe
Keyword(s):  
Human Genome ◽  
Genome Evolution ◽  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Germline Mutation ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Mutation Rates ◽  
Rate Variation ◽  
Nucleosome Organization ◽  
Local Sequence ◽  
Mutation Rate Variation

AbstractUnderstanding the patterns and genesis of germline de novo mutations is important for studying genome evolution and human diseases. Nucleosome organization is suggested to be a contributing factor to mutation rate variation across the genome. However, the small number of published de novo mutations and the low resolution of earlier nucleosome maps limited our understanding of how nucleosome organization affects germline mutation rates in the human genome. Here, we systematically investigated the relationship between nucleosome organization and fine-scale mutation rate variation by analyzing >300,000 de novo mutations from whole-genome trio sequencing and high-resolution nucleosome maps in human. We found that de novo mutation rates are elevated around strong, translationally stable nucleosomes, a previously under-appreciated aspect. We confirmed this observation having controlled for local sequence context and other potential confounding factors. Analysis of the underlying mutational processes suggests that the increased mutation rates around strong nucleosomes are shaped by a combination of low-fidelity replication, frequent DNA damage and insufficient/error-prone repair in these regions. Interestingly, strong nucleosomes are preferentially located in young SINE/LINE elements, implying frequent nucleosome re-positioning (i.e. shifting of dyad position) and their contribution to hypermutation at new retrotransposons during evolution. These findings provide novel insights into how chromatin organization affects germline mutation rates and have important implications in human genetics and genome evolution.

scholarly journals Mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 and emergence of mutators during experimental evolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitor Borges ◽  
Maria Joao Alves ◽  
Massimo Amicone ◽  
Joana Isidro ◽  
Libia Ze-Ze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Experimental Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Immune Surveillance ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Adaptive Potential ◽  
Cell Infection ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Spike Gene

"How predictable is evolution?" is a key question in evolutionary biology. Experimental evolution has shown that the evolutionary path of microbes can be extraordinarily reproducible. Here, using experimental evolution in two circulating SARS-CoV-2, we estimate its mutation rate and demonstrate the repeatability of its evolution when facing a new cell type but no immune or drug pressures. We estimate a genomic mutation rate of 3.7x10^-6 nt^-1 cycle^-1 for a lineage of SARS-CoV-2 with the originally described spike protein (CoV-2-D) and of 2.9x10^-6 nt^-1 cycle-1 for a lineage carrying the D614G mutation that has spread worldwide (CoV-2-G). We further show that mutation accumulation is heterogeneous along the genome, with the spike gene accumulating mutations at a mean rate 16x10^-6 nt^-1 per infection cycle across backgrounds, five-fold higher than the genomic average. We observe the emergence of mutators in the CoV-2-G background, likely linked to mutations in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and/or in the error-correcting exonuclease protein. Despite strong bottlenecks, several de novo mutations spread to high frequencies by selection and considerable convergent evolution in spike occurs. These results demonstrate the high adaptive potential of SARS-CoV-2 during the first stages of cell infection in the absence of immune surveillance.

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 Spontaneous rate of clonal mutations in Daphnia galeata

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Pfenninger ◽  
Halina Binde Doria ◽  
Jana Nickel ◽  
Anne Thielsch ◽  
Klaus Schwenk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Mutation Accumulation ◽  
Parental Genotype ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Daphnia Galeata ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Heritable Variation ◽  
Nucleotide Mutation ◽  
Ultimate Source

AbstractMutations are the ultimate source of heritable variation and therefore the fuel for evolution, but direct estimates exist only for few species. We estimated the spontaneous nucleotide mutation rate among clonal generations in the waterflea Daphnia galeata with a short term mutation accumulation approach. Individuals from eighteen mutation accumulation lines over five generations were deep genome sequenced to count de novo mutations that were not present in a pool of F1 individuals, representing the parental genotype. We identified 12 new nucleotide mutations in 90 clonal generational passages. This resulted in an estimated haploid mutation rate of 0.745 x 10-9 (95% c.f. 0.39 x 10-9 − 1.26 x 10-9), which is slightly lower than recent estimates for other Daphnia species. We discuss the implications for the population genetics of Cladocerans.

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 A direct multi-generational estimate of the human mutation rate from autozygous segments seen in thousands of parentally related individuals

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vagheesh M Narasimhan ◽  
Raheleh Rahbari ◽  
Aylwyn Scally ◽  
Arthur Wuster ◽  
Dan Mason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Pakistani Population ◽  
Human Mutation ◽  
C To T Mutations ◽  
Mutational Processes

AbstractHeterozygous mutations within homozygous sequences descended from a recent common ancestor offer a way to ascertain de novo mutations (DNMs) across multiple generations. Using exome sequences from 3,222 British-Pakistani individuals with high parental relatedness, we estimate a mutation rate of 1. 45 ± 0.05 × 10−8 per base pair per generation in autosomal coding sequence, with a corresponding noncrossover gene conversion rate of 8.75 ± 0.05 × 10−6 per base pair per generation. This is at the lower end of exome mutation rates previously estimated in parent-offspring trios, suggesting that post-zygotic mutations contribute little to the human germline mutation rate. We found frequent recurrence of mutations at polymorphic CpG sites, and an increase in C to T mutations in a 5’ CCG 3’ → 5’ CTG 3’ context in the Pakistani population compared to Europeans, suggesting that mutational processes have evolved rapidly between human populations.

scholarly journals Direct estimation of the spontaneous mutation rate by short-term mutation accumulation lines in Chironomus riparius

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Marie Oppold ◽  
Markus Pfenninger
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Spontaneous Mutation ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Mutation Accumulation ◽  
Occurrence Rate ◽  
Spontaneous Mutation Rate ◽  
Biting Midge ◽  
Mutational Spectrum

AbstractMutations are the ultimate basis of evolution, yet their occurrence rate is known only for few species. We directly estimated the spontaneous mutation rate and the mutational spectrum in the non-biting midge C. riparius with a new approach. Individuals from ten mutation accumulation lines over five generations were deep genome sequenced to count de novo mutations (DNMs) that were not present in a pool of F1 individuals, representing parental genotypes. We identified 51 new single site mutations of which 25 were insertions or deletions and 26 single point mutations. This shift in the mutational spectrum compared to other organisms was explained by the high A/T content of the species. We estimated a haploid mutation rate of 2.1 x 10−9 (95% confidence interval: 1.4 x 10−9 – 3.1 x 10−9) which is in the range of recent estimates for other insects and supports the drift barrier hypothesis. We show that accurate mutation rate estimation from a high number of observed mutations is feasible with moderate effort even for non-model species.

scholarly journals Higher Germline Mutagenesis of Genes with Stronger Testis Expressions Refutes the Transcriptional Scanning Hypothesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 3225-3231
Author(s):  
Haoxuan Liu ◽  
Jianzhi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mutation Rate ◽  
Germline Mutation ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Expression Level ◽  
Human Testis ◽  
Confounding Factors ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Gene Expressions ◽  
Specific Manner ◽  
Mammalian Testis

Abstract Why are more genes expressed in the testis than in any other organ in mammals? The recently proposed transcriptional scanning hypothesis posits that transcription alleviates mutagenesis through transcription-coupled repair so has been selected in the testis to modulate the germline mutation rate in a gene-specific manner. Here, we show that this hypothesis is theoretically untenable because the selection would be too weak to have an effect in mammals. Furthermore, the analysis purported to support the hypothesis did not control known confounding factors and inappropriately excluded genes with no observed de novo mutations. After remedying these problems, we find the human germline mutation rate of a gene to rise with its testis expression level. This trend also exists for inferred coding strand-originated mutations, suggesting that it arises from transcription-associated mutagenesis. Furthermore, the testis expression level of a gene robustly correlates with its overall expression in other organs, nullifying the need to explain the testis silencing of a minority of genes by adaptive germline mutagenesis. Taken together, our results demonstrate that human testis transcription increases the germline mutation rate, rejecting the transcriptional scanning hypothesis of extensive gene expressions in the mammalian testis.

scholarly journals Rapid Accumulation of Mutations in Growing Mycelia of a Hypervariable Fungus Schizophyllum commune

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 2279-2286
Author(s):  
Aleksandra V Bezmenova ◽  
Elena A Zvyagina ◽  
Anna V Fedotova ◽  
Artem S Kasianov ◽  
Tatiana V Neretina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Mutation Rate ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Schizophyllum Commune ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Rapid Accumulation ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Very High ◽  
Rate Of Accumulation

Abstract The basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune has the highest level of genetic polymorphism known among living organisms. In a previous study, it was also found to have a moderately high per-generation mutation rate of 2×10−8, likely contributing to its high polymorphism. However, this rate has been measured only in an experiment on Petri dishes, and it is unclear how it translates to natural populations. Here, we used an experimental design that measures the rate of accumulation of de novo mutations in a linearly growing mycelium. We show that S. commune accumulates mutations at a rate of 1.24×10−7 substitutions per nucleotide per meter of growth, or ∼2.04×10−11 per nucleotide per cell division. In contrast to what has been observed in a number of species with extensive vegetative growth, this rate does not decline in the course of propagation of a mycelium. As a result, even a moderate per-cell-division mutation rate in S. commune can translate into a very high per-generation mutation rate when the number of cell divisions between consecutive meiosis is large.

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