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Rybnikov SR, Hübner S, Korol AB. A Numerical Model Supports the Evolutionary Advantage of Recombination Plasticity in Shifting Environments. Am Nat 2024; 203:E78-E91. [PMID: 38358806 DOI: 10.1086/728405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
AbstractNumerous empirical studies have witnessed an increase in meiotic recombination rate in response to physiological stress imposed by unfavorable environmental conditions. Thus, inherited plasticity in recombination rate is hypothesized to be evolutionarily advantageous in changing environments. Previous theoretical models proceeded from the assumption that organisms increase their recombination rate when the environment becomes more stressful and demonstrated the evolutionary advantage of such a form of plasticity. Here, we numerically explore a complementary scenario-when the plastic increase in recombination rate is triggered by the environmental shifts. Specifically, we assume increased recombination in individuals developing in a different environment than their parents and, optionally, also in offspring of such individuals. We show that such shift-inducible recombination is always superior when the optimal constant recombination implies an intermediate rate. Moreover, under certain conditions, plastic recombination may also appear beneficial when the optimal constant recombination is either zero or free. The advantage of plastic recombination was better predicted by the range of the population's mean fitness over the period of environmental fluctuations, compared with the geometric mean fitness. These results hold for both panmixia and partial selfing, with faster dynamics of recombination modifier alleles under selfing. We think that recombination plasticity can be acquired under the control of environmentally responsive mechanisms, such as chromatin epigenetics remodeling.
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Rybnikov SR, Frenkel Z, Hübner S, Weissman DB, Korol AB. Modeling the evolution of recombination plasticity: A prospective review. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2200237. [PMID: 37246937 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Meiotic recombination is one of the main sources of genetic variation, a fundamental factor in the evolutionary adaptation of sexual eukaryotes. Yet, the role of variation in recombination rate and other recombination features remains underexplored. In this review, we focus on the sensitivity of recombination rates to different extrinsic and intrinsic factors. We briefly present the empirical evidence for recombination plasticity in response to environmental perturbations and/or poor genetic background and discuss theoretical models developed to explain how such plasticity could have evolved and how it can affect important population characteristics. We highlight a gap between the evidence, which comes mostly from experiments with diploids, and theory, which typically assumes haploid selection. Finally, we formulate open questions whose solving would help to outline conditions favoring recombination plasticity. This will contribute to answering the long-standing question of why sexual recombination exists despite its costs, since plastic recombination may be evolutionary advantageous even in selection regimes rejecting any non-zero constant recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sviatoslav R Rybnikov
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Zeev Frenkel
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sariel Hübner
- Galilee Research Institute (MIGAL), Tel-Hai College, Kiryat Shmona, Israel
| | | | - Abraham B Korol
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Malinovskaya LP, Tishakova KV, Bikchurina TI, Slobodchikova AY, Torgunakov NY, Torgasheva AA, Tsepilov YA, Volkova NA, Borodin PM. Negative heterosis for meiotic recombination rate in spermatocytes of the domestic chicken Gallus gallus. Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii 2021; 25:661-668. [PMID: 34782886 PMCID: PMC8558918 DOI: 10.18699/vj21.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Benef its and costs of meiotic recombination are a matter of discussion. Because recombination breaks
allele combinations already tested by natural selection and generates new ones of unpredictable f itness, a high
recombination rate is generally benef icial for the populations living in a f luctuating or a rapidly changing environment
and costly in a stable environment. Besides genetic benef its and costs, there are cytological effects of recombination,
both positive and negative. Recombination is necessary for chromosome synapsis and segregation. However,
it involves a massive generation of double-strand DNA breaks, erroneous repair of which may lead to germ
cell death or various mutations and chromosome rearrangements. Thus, the benef its of recombination (generation
of new allele combinations) would prevail over its costs (occurrence of deleterious mutations) as long as the population
remains suff iciently heterogeneous. Using immunolocalization of MLH1, a mismatch repair protein, at the
synaptonemal complexes, we examined the number and distribution of recombination nodules in spermatocytes
of two chicken breeds with high (Pervomai) and low (Russian Crested) recombination rates and their F1 hybrids and
backcrosses. We detected negative heterosis for recombination rate in the F1 hybrids. Backcrosses to the Pervomai
breed were rather homogenous and showed an intermediate recombination rate. The differences in overall recombination
rate between the breeds, hybrids and backcrosses were mainly determined by the differences in the crossing
over number in the seven largest macrochromosomes. The decrease in recombination rate in F1 is probably
determined by diff iculties in homology matching between the DNA sequences of genetically divergent breeds. The
suppression of recombination in the hybrids may impede gene f low between parapatric populations and therefore
accelerate their genetic divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- L P Malinovskaya
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | | | - T I Bikchurina
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - A Yu Slobodchikova
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - N Yu Torgunakov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - A A Torgasheva
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Y A Tsepilov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - N A Volkova
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Moscow region, Russia
| | - P M Borodin
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
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Rybnikov S, Weissman DB, Hübner S, Korol AB. Fitness dependence preserves selection for recombination across diverse mixed mating strategies. J Theor Biol 2021; 528:110849. [PMID: 34331961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Meiotic recombination and the factors affecting its rate and fate in nature have inspired many studies in theoretical evolutionary biology. Classical theoretical models have inferred that recombination can be favored under a rather restricted parameter range. Thus, the ubiquity of recombination in nature remains an open question. However, these models assumed constant recombination with an equal rate across all individuals within the population, whereas empirical evidence suggests that recombination may display certain sensitivity to ecological stressors and/or genotype fitness. Models assuming condition-dependent recombination show that such a strategy can often be favored over constant recombination. Moreover, in our recent model with panmictic populations subjected to purifying selection, fitness-dependent recombination was quite often favored even when any constant recombination was rejected. By using numerical modeling, we test whether such a 'recombination-rescuing potential' of fitness dependence holds also beyond panmixia, given the recognized effect of mating strategy on the evolution of recombination. We show that deviations from panmixia generally increase the recombination-rescuing potential of fitness dependence, with the strongest effect under intermediate selfing or high clonality. We find that under partial clonality, the evolutionary advantage of fitness-dependent recombination is determined mostly by selection against heterozygotes and additive-by-additive epistasis, while under partial selfing, additive-by-dominance epistasis is also a driver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sviatoslav Rybnikov
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel.
| | | | - Sariel Hübner
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; Galilee Research Institute (MIGAL), Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee 1220800, Israel
| | - Abraham B Korol
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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Abstract
Sex, as well as meiotic recombination between homologous chromosomes, is nearly ubiquitous among eukaryotes. In those species that use it, recombination is important for chromosome segregation during gamete production, and thus for fertility. Strikingly, although in most species only one crossover event per chromosome is required to ensure proper segregation, recombination rates vary considerably above this minimum and show variation within and among species. However, whether this variation in recombination is adaptive or neutral and what might shape it remain unclear. Empirical studies and theory support the idea that recombination is generally beneficial but can also have costs. Here, we review variation in genome-wide recombination rates, explore what might cause this, and discuss what is known about its mechanistic basis. We end by discussing the environmental sensitivity of meiosis and recombination rates, how these features may relate to adaptation, and their implications for a broader understanding of recombination rate evolution. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Genetics, Volume 55 is November 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R Henderson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom;
| | - Kirsten Bomblies
- Plant Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland;
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Weitz AP, Dukic M, Zeitler L, Bomblies K. Male meiotic recombination rate varies with seasonal temperature fluctuations in wild populations of autotetraploid Arabidopsis arenosa. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:4630-4641. [PMID: 34273213 PMCID: PMC9292783 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Meiosis, the cell division by which eukaryotes produce haploid gametes, is essential for fertility in sexually reproducing species. This process is sensitive to temperature, and can fail outright at temperature extremes. At less extreme values, temperature affects the genome‐wide rate of homologous recombination, which has important implications for evolution and population genetics. Numerous studies in laboratory conditions have shown that recombination rate plasticity is common, perhaps nearly universal, among eukaryotes. These studies have also shown that variation in the length or timing of stresses can strongly affect results, raising the important question whether these findings translate to more variable field conditions. Moreover, lower or higher recombination rate could cause certain kinds of meiotic aberrations, especially in polyploid species—raising the additional question whether temperature fluctuations in field conditions cause problems. Here, we tested whether (1) recombination rate varies across a season in the wild in two natural populations of autotetraploid Arabidopsis arenosa, (2) whether recombination rate correlates with temperature fluctuations in nature, and (3) whether natural temperature fluctuations might cause meiotic aberrations. We found that plants in two genetically distinct populations showed a similar plastic response with recombination rate increases correlated with both high and low temperatures. In addition, increased recombination rate correlated with increased multivalent formation, especially at lower temperature, hinting that polyploids in particular may suffer meiotic problems in conditions they encounter in nature. Our results show that studies of recombination rate plasticity done in laboratory settings inform our understanding of what happens in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Weitz
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Sciences, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Marinela Dukic
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Leo Zeitler
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Department of Biology, Ecological Genomics, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Kirsten Bomblies
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Selection for Plastic, Pathogen-Inducible Recombination in a Red Queen Model with Diploid Antagonists. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10070898. [PMID: 34358051 PMCID: PMC8308896 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10070898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Antagonistic interactions and co-evolution between a host and its parasite are known to cause oscillations in the population genetic structure of both species (Red Queen dynamics). Potentially, such oscillations may select for increased sex and recombination in the host, although theoretical models suggest that this happens under rather restricted values of selection intensity, epistasis, and other parameters. Here, we explore a model in which the diploid parasite succeeds to infect the diploid host only if their phenotypes at the interaction-mediating loci match. Whenever regular oscillations emerge in this system, we test whether plastic, pathogen-inducible recombination in the host can be favored over the optimal constant recombination. Two forms of the host recombination dependence on the parasite pressure were considered: either proportionally to the risk of infection (prevention strategy) or upon the fact of infection (remediation strategy). We show that both forms of plastic recombination can be favored, although relatively infrequently (up to 11% of all regimes with regular oscillations, and up to 20% of regimes with obligate parasitism). This happens under either strong overall selection and high recombination rate in the host, or weak overall selection and low recombination rate in the host. In the latter case, the system’s dynamics are considerably more complex. The prevention strategy is favored more often than the remediation one. It is noteworthy that plastic recombination can be favored even when any constant recombination is rejected, making plasticity an evolutionary mechanism for the rescue of host recombination.
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