1
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Bulut B, Rigano L, Doria HB, Gemüth G, Pfenninger M. A multigenerational study can detect the evolutionary response to BaP exposure in the non-biting freshwater midge Chironomus riparius. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 358:142242. [PMID: 38710409 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the environment is posing a threat to ecosystems and human health. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is considered a biomarker of PAH exposure and is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. However, it was not known whether BaP is mutagenic, i.e. induces inherited germline mutations. In this study, we used a recently established method, which combines short-term mutation accumulation lines (MAL) with whole genome sequencing (WGS) to assess mutagenicity in the non-biting midge Chironomus riparius. The mutagenicity analysis was supplemented by an evaluation of the development of population fitness in three successive generations in the case of chronic exposure to BaP at a high concentration (100 μg/L). In addition, the level of ROS-induced oxidative stress was examined in vivo. Exposure to the higher BaP concentration led to an increase in germline mutations relative to the control, while the lower concentration showed no mentionable effect. Against expectations, BaP exposure decreased ROS-level compared to the control and is thus probably not responsible for the increased mutation rate. Likewise, the higher BaP concentration decreased fitness measured as population growth rate per day (PGR) significantly over all generations, without signs of rapid evolutionary adaptations. Our results thus highlighted that high BaP exposure may influence the evolutionary trajectory of organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burak Bulut
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lorenzo Rigano
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; LOEWE Centre of Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Halina Binde Doria
- LOEWE Centre of Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Gajana Gemüth
- LOEWE Centre of Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Markus Pfenninger
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; LOEWE Centre of Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institute for Molecular and Organismic Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University, Johann-Joachim-Becker-Weg 7, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
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2
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Daigle A, Johri P. Hill-Robertson interference may bias the inference of fitness effects of new mutations in highly selfing species. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.06.579142. [PMID: 38370745 PMCID: PMC10871249 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.06.579142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The accurate estimation of the distribution of fitness effects (DFE) of new mutations is critical for population genetic inference but remains a challenging task. While various methods have been developed for DFE inference using the site frequency spectrum of putatively neutral and selected sites, their applicability in species with diverse life history traits and complex demographic scenarios is not well understood. Selfing is common among eukaryotic species and can lead to decreased effective recombination rates, increasing the effects of selection at linked sites, including interference between selected alleles. We employ forward simulations to investigate the limitations of current DFE estimation approaches in the presence of selfing and other model violations, such as linkage, departures from semidominance, population structure, and uneven sampling. We find that distortions of the site frequency spectrum due to Hill-Robertson interference in highly selfing populations lead to mis-inference of the deleterious DFE of new mutations. Specifically, while accounting for the decrease in the effective population size due to linked effects of selection allows an accurate estimation of selection coefficients in moderately selfing populations, this correction is unable to accurately estimate selection coefficients in highly selfing populations when interference between selected alleles is pervasive. In addition, the presence of cryptic population structure with low rates of migration and uneven sampling across subpopulations leads to the false inference of a deleterious DFE skewed towards effectively neutral/mildly deleterious mutations. Finally, the proportion of adaptive substitutions estimated at high rates of selfing is substantially overestimated. Our observations apply broadly to species and genomic regions with little/no recombination and where interference might be pervasive.
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3
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Crombie TA, McKeown R, Moya ND, Evans K, Widmayer S, LaGrassa V, Roman N, Tursunova O, Zhang G, Gibson S, Buchanan C, Roberto N, Vieira R, Tanny R, Andersen E. CaeNDR, the Caenorhabditis Natural Diversity Resource. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D850-D858. [PMID: 37855690 PMCID: PMC10767927 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of model organisms have provided important insights into how natural genetic differences shape trait variation. These discoveries are driven by the growing availability of genomes and the expansive experimental toolkits afforded to researchers using these species. For example, Caenorhabditis elegans is increasingly being used to identify and measure the effects of natural genetic variants on traits using quantitative genetics. Since 2016, the C. elegans Natural Diversity Resource (CeNDR) has facilitated many of these studies by providing an archive of wild strains, genome-wide sequence and variant data for each strain, and a genome-wide association (GWA) mapping portal for the C. elegans community. Here, we present an updated platform, the Caenorhabditis Natural Diversity Resource (CaeNDR), that enables quantitative genetics and genomics studies across the three Caenorhabditis species: C. elegans, C. briggsae and C. tropicalis. The CaeNDR platform hosts several databases that are continually updated by the addition of new strains, whole-genome sequence data and annotated variants. Additionally, CaeNDR provides new interactive tools to explore natural variation and enable GWA mappings. All CaeNDR data and tools are accessible through a freely available web portal located at caendr.org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Crombie
- Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Ryan McKeown
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Nicolas D Moya
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cell, Molecular, Developmental biology, and Biophysics Graduate Program, ohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kathryn S Evans
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Samuel J Widmayer
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Vincent LaGrassa
- Northwestern University Information Technology, Media and Technology Innovation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
| | - Natalie Roman
- Northwestern University Information Technology, Media and Technology Innovation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
| | - Orzu Tursunova
- Northwestern University Information Technology, Media and Technology Innovation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
| | - Gaotian Zhang
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Sophia B Gibson
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Claire M Buchanan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Nicole M Roberto
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Rodolfo Vieira
- Northwestern University Information Technology, Media and Technology Innovation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA
| | - Robyn E Tanny
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Erik C Andersen
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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4
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Mallard F, Noble L, Baer CF, Teotónio H. Variation in mutational (co)variances. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkac335. [PMID: 36548954 PMCID: PMC9911065 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Because of pleiotropy, mutations affect the expression and inheritance of multiple traits and, together with selection, are expected to shape standing genetic covariances between traits and eventual phenotypic divergence between populations. It is therefore important to find if the M matrix, describing mutational variances of each trait and covariances between traits, varies between genotypes. We here estimate the M matrix for six locomotion behavior traits in lines of two genotypes of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that accumulated mutations in a nearly neutral manner for 250 generations. We find significant mutational variance along at least one phenotypic dimension of the M matrices, but neither their size nor their orientation had detectable differences between genotypes. The number of generations of mutation accumulation, or the number of MA lines measured, was likely insufficient to sample enough mutations and detect potentially small differences between the two M matrices. We then tested if the M matrices were similar to one G matrix describing the standing genetic (co)variances of a population derived by the hybridization of several genotypes, including the two measured for M, and domesticated to a lab-defined environment for 140 generations. We found that the M and G were different because the genetic covariances caused by mutational pleiotropy in the two genotypes are smaller than those caused by linkage disequilibrium in the lab population. We further show that M matrices differed in their alignment with the lab population G matrix. If generalized to other founder genotypes of the lab population, these observations indicate that selection does not shape the evolution of the M matrix for locomotion behavior in the short-term of a few tens to hundreds of generations and suggests that the hybridization of C. elegans genotypes allows selection on new phenotypic dimensions of locomotion behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Mallard
- Institut de Biologie de l’École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 8197, Inserm U1024, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Luke Noble
- Institut de Biologie de l’École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 8197, Inserm U1024, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainsville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Henrique Teotónio
- Institut de Biologie de l’École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR 8197, Inserm U1024, F-75005 Paris, France
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5
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Duxbury EML, Carlsson H, Sales K, Sultanova Z, Immler S, Chapman T, Maklakov AA. Multigenerational downregulation of insulin/IGF-1 signaling in adulthood improves lineage survival, reproduction, and fitness in Caenorhabditis elegans supporting the developmental theory of ageing. Evolution 2022; 76:2829-2845. [PMID: 36199198 PMCID: PMC10092551 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Adulthood-only downregulation of insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS), an evolutionarily conserved pathway regulating resource allocation between somatic maintenance and reproduction, increases life span without fecundity cost in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. However, long-term multigenerational effects of reduced IIS remain unexplored and are proposed to carry costs for offspring quality. To test this hypothesis, we ran a mutation accumulation (MA) experiment and downregulated IIS in half of the 400 MA lines by silencing daf-2 gene expression using RNA interference (RNAi) across 40 generations. Contrary to the prediction, adulthood-only daf-2 RNAi reduced extinction of MA lines both under UV-induced and spontaneous MA. Fitness of the surviving UV-induced MA lines was higher under daf-2 RNAi. Reduced IIS increased intergenerational F1 offspring fitness under UV stress but had no quantifiable transgenerational effects. Functional hrde-1 was required for the benefits of multigenerational daf-2 RNAi. Overall, we found net benefit to fitness from multigenerational reduction of IIS and the benefits became more apparent under stress. Because reduced daf-2 expression during development carries fitness costs, we suggest that our findings are best explained by the developmental theory of ageing, which maintains that the decline in the force of selection with age results in poorly regulated gene expression in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M L Duxbury
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Hanne Carlsson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Kris Sales
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Zahida Sultanova
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Simone Immler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
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6
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Mahilkar A, Raj N, Kemkar S, Saini S. Selection in a growing colony biases results of mutation accumulation experiments. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15470. [PMID: 36104390 PMCID: PMC9475022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19928-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations provide the raw material for natural selection to act. Therefore, understanding the variety and relative frequency of different type of mutations is critical to understanding the nature of genetic diversity in a population. Mutation accumulation (MA) experiments have been used in this context to estimate parameters defining mutation rates, distribution of fitness effects (DFE), and spectrum of mutations. MA experiments can be performed with different effective population sizes. In MA experiments with bacteria, a single founder is grown to a size of a colony (~ 108). It is assumed that natural selection plays a minimal role in dictating the dynamics of colony growth. In this work, we simulate colony growth via a mathematical model, and use our model to mimic an MA experiment. We demonstrate that selection ensures that, in an MA experiment, fraction of all mutations that are beneficial is over-represented by a factor of almost two, and that the distribution of fitness effects of beneficial and deleterious mutations are inaccurately captured in an MA experiment. Given this, the estimate of mutation rates from MA experiments is non-trivial. We then perform an MA experiment with 160 lines of E. coli, and show that due to the effect of selection in a growing colony, the size and sector of a colony from which the experiment is propagated impacts the results. Overall, we demonstrate that the results of MA experiments need to be revisited taking into account the action of selection in a growing colony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Mahilkar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Namratha Raj
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Sharvari Kemkar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Supreet Saini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India.
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7
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Cruzan MB, Streisfeld MA, Schwoch JA. Fitness effects of somatic mutations accumulating during vegetative growth. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10188-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe unique life form of plants promotes the accumulation of somatic mutations that can be passed to offspring in the next generation, because the same meristem cells responsible for vegetative growth also generate gametes for sexual reproduction. However, little is known about the consequences of somatic mutation accumulation for offspring fitness. We evaluate the fitness effects of somatic mutations in Mimulus guttatus by comparing progeny from self-pollinations made within the same flower (autogamy) to progeny from self-pollinations made between stems on the same plant (geitonogamy). The effects of somatic mutations are evident from this comparison, as autogamy leads to homozygosity of a proportion of somatic mutations, but progeny from geitonogamy remain heterozygous for mutations unique to each stem. In two different experiments, we find consistent fitness effects of somatic mutations from individual stems. Surprisingly, several progeny groups from autogamous crosses displayed increases in fitness compared to progeny from geitonogamy crosses, likely indicating that beneficial somatic mutations occurred in some stems. These results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations accumulate during vegetative growth, but they are filtered by different forms of selection that occur throughout development, resulting in the culling of expressed deleterious mutations and the retention of beneficial mutations.
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8
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Saber S, Snyder M, Rajaei M, Baer CF. Mutation, selection, and the prevalence of the Caenorhabditis elegans heat-sensitive mortal germline phenotype. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:jkac063. [PMID: 35311992 PMCID: PMC9073675 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans strains with the heat-sensitive mortal germline phenotype become progressively sterile over the course of a few tens of generations when maintained at temperatures near the upper range of C. elegans' tolerance. Mortal germline is transgenerationally heritable, and proximately under epigenetic control. Previous studies have suggested that mortal germline presents a relatively large mutational target and that mortal germline is not uncommon in natural populations of C. elegans. The mortal germline phenotype is not monolithic. Some strains exhibit a strong mortal germline phenotype, in which individuals invariably become sterile over a few generations, whereas other strains show a weaker (less penetrant) phenotype in which the onset of sterility is slower and more stochastic. We present results in which we (1) quantify the rate of mutation to the mortal germline phenotype and (2) quantify the frequency of mortal germline in a collection of 95 wild isolates. Over the course of ∼16,000 meioses, we detected one mutation to a strong mortal germline phenotype, resulting in a point estimate of the mutation rate UMrt≈ 6×10-5/genome/generation. We detected no mutations to a weak mortal germline phenotype. Six out of 95 wild isolates have a strong mortal germline phenotype, and although quantification of the weak mortal germline phenotype is inexact, the weak mortal germline phenotype is not rare in nature. We estimate a strength of selection against mutations conferring the strong mortal germline phenotype s¯≈0.1%, similar to selection against mutations affecting competitive fitness. The appreciable frequency of weak mortal germline variants in nature combined with the low mutation rate suggests that mortal germline may be maintained by balancing selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayran Saber
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
| | - Michael Snyder
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
| | - Moein Rajaei
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525, USA
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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9
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Rajaei M, Saxena AS, Johnson LM, Snyder MC, Crombie TA, Tanny RE, Andersen EC, Joyner-Matos J, Baer CF. Mutability of mononucleotide repeats, not oxidative stress, explains the discrepancy between laboratory-accumulated mutations and the natural allele-frequency spectrum in C. elegans. Genome Res 2021; 31:1602-1613. [PMID: 34404692 PMCID: PMC8415377 DOI: 10.1101/gr.275372.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Important clues about natural selection can be gleaned from discrepancies between the properties of segregating genetic variants and of mutations accumulated experimentally under minimal selection, provided the mutational process is the same in the laboratory as in nature. The base-substitution spectrum differs between C. elegans laboratory mutation accumulation (MA) experiments and the standing site-frequency spectrum, which has been argued to be in part owing to increased oxidative stress in the laboratory environment. Using genome sequence data from C. elegans MA lines carrying a mutation (mev-1) that increases the cellular titer of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to increased oxidative stress, we find the base-substitution spectrum is similar between mev-1, its wild-type progenitor (N2), and another set of MA lines derived from a different wild strain (PB306). Conversely, the rate of short insertions is greater in mev-1, consistent with studies in other organisms in which environmental stress increased the rate of insertion–deletion mutations. Further, the mutational properties of mononucleotide repeats in all strains are different from those of nonmononucleotide sequence, both for indels and base-substitutions, and whereas the nonmononucleotide spectra are fairly similar between MA lines and wild isolates, the mononucleotide spectra are very different, with a greater frequency of A:T → T:A transversions and an increased proportion of ±1-bp indels. The discrepancy in mutational spectra between laboratory MA experiments and natural variation is likely owing to a consistent (but unknown) effect of the laboratory environment that manifests itself via different modes of mutability and/or repair at mononucleotide loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moein Rajaei
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
| | | | - Lindsay M Johnson
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
| | - Michael C Snyder
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
| | - Timothy A Crombie
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.,Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Robyn E Tanny
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Erik C Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Joanna Joyner-Matos
- Department of Biology, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington 99004, USA
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.,University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, Florida 32608, USA
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10
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Palka JK, Fiok K, Antoł W, Prokop ZM. Competitive fitness analysis using Convolutional Neural Network. J Nematol 2021; 52:e2020-108. [PMID: 33829182 PMCID: PMC8015326 DOI: 10.21307/jofnem-2020-108] [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: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
We developed a procedure for estimating competitive fitness by using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism and a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) as a tool. Competitive fitness is usually the most informative fitness measure, and competitive fitness assays often rely on green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker strains. CNNs are a class of deep learning neural networks, which are well suited for image analysis and object classification. Our model analyses involved image classification of nematodes as wild-type vs. GFP-expressing, and counted both categories. The performance was analyzed with (i) precision and recall parameters, and (ii) comparison of the wild-type frequency calculated from the model against that obtained by visual scoring of the same images. The average precision and recall varied from 0.79 to 0.87 and from 0.84 to 0.92, respectively, depending on worm density in the images. Compared with manual counting, the model decreased counting time at least 20-fold while preventing human errors. Given the rapid development in the field of CNN, the model, which is fully available on GitHub, can be further optimized and adapted for other image-based uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna K Palka
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Fiok
- Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
| | - Weronika Antoł
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Zofia M Prokop
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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11
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Davenport ES, Agrelius TC, Harmon KB, Dudycha JL. Fitness effects of spontaneous mutations in a warming world. Evolution 2021; 75:1513-1524. [PMID: 33751559 PMCID: PMC8252619 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Spontaneous mutations fuel evolutionary processes and differ in consequence, but the consequences depend on the environment. Biophysical considerations of protein thermostability predict that warm temperatures may systematically increase the deleteriousness of mutation. We sought to test whether mutation reduced fitness more when measured in an environment that reflected climate change projections for temperature. We investigated the effects of spontaneous mutations on life history, size, and fitness in 21 mutation accumulation lines and 12 control lines of Daphnia pulex at standard and elevated (+4℃) temperatures. Warmer temperature accelerated life history and reduced body length and clutch sizes. Mutation led to reduced mean clutch sizes and fitness estimates at both temperatures. We found no evidence of a systematic temperature–mutation interaction on trait means, although some lines showed evidence of beneficial mutation at one temperature and deleterious mutation at the other. However, trait variances are also influenced by mutation, and we observed increased variances due to mutation for most traits. For variance of the intrinsic rate of increase and some reproductive traits, we found significant temperature–mutation interactions, with a larger increase due to mutation in the warmer environment. This suggests that selection on new mutations will be more efficient at elevated temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Davenport
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208.,Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109
| | - Trenton C Agrelius
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208
| | - Krista B Harmon
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208
| | - Jeffry L Dudycha
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208
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12
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Yang B, Rifkin SA. A larger target leads to faster evolution. eLife 2020; 9:62689. [PMID: 33052100 PMCID: PMC7556857 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The speed at which a cell fate decision in nematode worms evolves is due to the number of genes that control the decision, rather than to a high mutation rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Yang
- Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Scott A Rifkin
- Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
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13
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Johnson LM, Smith OJ, Hahn DA, Baer CF. Short-term heritable variation overwhelms 200 generations of mutational variance for metabolic traits in Caenorhabditis elegans. Evolution 2020; 74:2451-2464. [PMID: 32989734 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic disorders have a large heritable component, and have increased markedly in human populations over the past few generations. Genome-wide association studies of metabolic traits typically find a substantial unexplained fraction of total heritability, suggesting an important role of spontaneous mutation. An alternative explanation is that epigenetic effects contribute significantly to the heritable variation. Here, we report a study designed to quantify the cumulative effects of spontaneous mutation on adenosine metabolism in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, including both the activity and concentration of two metabolic enzymes and the standing pools of their associated metabolites. The only prior studies on the effects of mutation on metabolic enzyme activity, in Drosophila melanogaster, found that total enzyme activity presents a mutational target similar to that of morphological and life-history traits. However, those studies were not designed to account for short-term heritable effects. We find that the short-term heritable variance for most traits is of similar magnitude as the variance among MA lines. This result suggests that the potential heritable effects of epigenetic variation in metabolic disease warrant additional scrutiny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay M Johnson
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611.,Ology Bioservices, Inc., Alachua, Florida, 32615
| | - Olivia J Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611
| | - Daniel A Hahn
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611.,University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, Florida, 32611
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611.,University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, Florida, 32611
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14
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Besnard F, Picao-Osorio J, Dubois C, Félix MA. A broad mutational target explains a fast rate of phenotypic evolution. eLife 2020; 9:54928. [PMID: 32851977 PMCID: PMC7556874 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid evolution of a trait in a clade of organisms can be explained by the sustained action of natural selection or by a high mutational variance, that is the propensity to change under spontaneous mutation. The causes for a high mutational variance are still elusive. In some cases, fast evolution depends on the high mutation rate of one or few loci with short tandem repeats. Here, we report on the fastest evolving cell fate among vulva precursor cells in Caenorhabditis nematodes, that of P3.p. We identify and validate causal mutations underlying P3.p's high mutational variance. We find that these positions do not present any characteristics of a high mutation rate, are scattered across the genome and the corresponding genes belong to distinct biological pathways. Our data indicate that a broad mutational target size is the cause of the high mutational variance and of the corresponding fast phenotypic evolutionary rate. Heritable characteristics or traits of a group of organisms, for example the large brain size of primates or the hooves of a horse, are determined by genes, the environment, and by the interactions between them. Traits can change over time and generations when enough mutations in these genes have spread in a species to result in visible differences. However, some traits, such as the large brain of primates, evolve faster than others, but why this is the case has been unclear. It could be that a few specific genes important for that trait in question mutate at a high rate, or, that many genes affect the trait, creating a lot of variation for natural selection to choose from. Here, Besnard, Picao-Osorio et al. studied the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans to better understand the causes underlying the different rates of trait evolution. These worms have a short life cycle and evolve quickly over many generations, making them an ideal candidate for studying mutation rates in different traits. Previous studies have shown that one of C. elegans’ six cells of the reproductive system evolves faster than the others. To investigate this further, Besnard, Picao-Osorio et al. analysed the genetic mutations driving change in this cell in 250 worm generations. The results showed that five mutations in five different genes – all responsible for different processes in the cells – were behind the supercharged evolution of this particular cell. This suggests that fast evolution results from natural selection acting upon a collection of genes, rather than one gene, and that many genes and pathways shape this trait. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that how traits are coded at the molecular level, in one gene or many, can influence the rate at which they evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrice Besnard
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, Paris, France.,Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, Inria, Lyon, France
| | - Joao Picao-Osorio
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, Paris, France
| | - Clément Dubois
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, Paris, France
| | - Marie-Anne Félix
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, Paris, France
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15
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Wagner JT, Howe DK, Estes S, Denver DR. Mitochondrial DNA Variation and Selfish Propagation Following Experimental Bottlenecking in Two Distantly Related Caenorhabditis briggsae Isolates. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11010077. [PMID: 31936803 PMCID: PMC7016712 DOI: 10.3390/genes11010077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evolution and inheritance has broad implications for animal speciation and human disease models. However, few natural models exist that can simultaneously represent mtDNA transmission bias, mutation, and copy number variation. Certain isolates of the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae harbor large, naturally-occurring mtDNA deletions of several hundred basepairs affecting the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (nduo-5) gene that can be functionally detrimental. These deletion variants can behave as selfish DNA elements under genetic drift conditions, but whether all of these large deletion variants are transmitted in the same preferential manner remains unclear. In addition, the degree to which transgenerational mtDNA evolution profiles are shared between isolates that differ in their propensity to accumulate the nduo-5 deletion is also unclear. We address these knowledge gaps by experimentally bottlenecking two isolates of C. briggsae with different nduo-5 deletion frequencies for up to 50 generations and performing total DNA sequencing to identify mtDNA variation. We observed multiple mutation profile differences and similarities between C. briggsae isolates, a potentially species-specific pattern of copy number dysregulation, and some evidence for genetic hitchhiking in the deletion-bearing isolate. Our results further support C. briggsae as a practical model for characterizing naturally-occurring mtgenome variation and contribute to the understanding of how mtgenome variation persists in animal populations and how it presents in mitochondrial disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiah T. Wagner
- Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR) Center, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Dana K. Howe
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (D.K.H.); (D.R.D.)
| | - Suzanne Estes
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA;
| | - Dee R. Denver
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; (D.K.H.); (D.R.D.)
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16
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Sullins JA, Coleman-Hulbert AL, Gallegos A, Howe DK, Denver DR, Estes S. Complex Transmission Patterns and Age-Related Dynamics of a Selfish mtDNA Deletion. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:983-993. [PMID: 31318034 PMCID: PMC6797909 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite wide-ranging implications of selfish mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) elements for human disease and topics in evolutionary biology (e.g., speciation), the forces controlling their formation, age-related accumulation, and offspring transmission remain largely unknown. Selfish mtDNA poses a significant challenge to genome integrity, mitochondrial function, and organismal fitness. For instance, numerous human diseases are associated with mtDNA mutations; however, few genetic systems can simultaneously represent pathogenic mitochondrial genome evolution and inheritance. The nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae is one such system. Natural C. briggsae isolates harbor varying levels of a large-scale deletion affecting the mitochondrial nduo-5 gene, termed nad5Δ. A subset of these isolates contains putative compensatory mutations that may reduce the risk of deletion formation. We studied the dynamics of nad5Δ heteroplasmy levels during animal development and transmission from mothers to offspring in genetically diverse C. briggsae natural isolates. Results support previous work demonstrating that nad5Δ is a selfish element and that heteroplasmy levels of this deletion can be quite plastic, exhibiting high degrees of inter-family variability and divergence between generations. The latter is consistent with a mitochondrial bottleneck effect, and contrasts with previous findings from a laboratory-derived model uaDf5 mtDNA deletion in C. elegans. However, we also found evidence for among-isolate differences in the ability to limit nad5Δ accumulation, the pattern of which suggested that forces other than the compensatory mutations are important in protecting individuals and populations from rampant mtDNA deletion expansion over short time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Sullins
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
| | | | - Alexandra Gallegos
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
| | - Dana K Howe
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Dee R Denver
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Suzanne Estes
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
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17
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Saxena AS, Salomon MP, Matsuba C, Yeh SD, Baer CF. Evolution of the Mutational Process under Relaxed Selection in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:239-251. [PMID: 30445510 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The mutational process varies at many levels, from within genomes to among taxa. Many mechanisms have been linked to variation in mutation, but understanding of the evolution of the mutational process is rudimentary. Physiological condition is often implicated as a source of variation in microbial mutation rate and may contribute to mutation rate variation in multicellular organisms.Deleterious mutations are an ubiquitous source of variation in condition. We test the hypothesis that the mutational process depends on the underlying mutation load in two groups of Caenorhabditis elegans mutation accumulation (MA) lines that differ in their starting mutation loads. "First-order MA" (O1MA) lines maintained under minimal selection for ∼250 generations were divided into high-fitness and low-fitness groups and sets of "second-order MA" (O2MA) lines derived from each O1MA line were maintained for ∼150 additional generations. Genomes of 48 O2MA lines and their progenitors were sequenced. There is significant variation among O2MA lines in base-substitution rate (µbs), but no effect of initial fitness; the indel rate is greater in high-fitness O2MA lines. Overall, µbs is positively correlated with recombination and proximity to short tandem repeats and negatively correlated with 10 bp and 1 kb GC content. However, probability of mutation is sufficiently predicted by the three-nucleotide motif alone. Approximately 90% of the variance in standing nucleotide variation is explained by mutability. Total mutation rate increased in the O2MA lines, as predicted by the "drift barrier" model of mutation rate evolution. These data, combined with experimental estimates of fitness, suggest that epistasis is synergistic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew P Salomon
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- Department of Molecular Oncology, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA
| | - Chikako Matsuba
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- Department of Molecular Oncology, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA
| | - Shu-Dan Yeh
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- University of Florida Genetics Institute
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18
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Fitness and Genomic Consequences of Chronic Exposure to Low Levels of Copper and Nickel in Daphnia pulex Mutation Accumulation Lines. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2019; 9:61-71. [PMID: 30389796 PMCID: PMC6325897 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In at least some unicellular organisms, mutation rates are temporarily raised upon exposure to environmental stress, potentially contributing to the evolutionary response to stress. Whether this is true for multicellular organisms, however, has received little attention. This study investigated the effects of chronic mild stress, in the form of low-level copper and nickel exposure, on mutational processes in Daphnia pulex using a combination of mutation accumulation, whole genome sequencing and life-history assays. After over 100 generations of mutation accumulation, we found no effects of metal exposure on the rates of single nucleotide mutations and of loss of heterozygosity events, the two mutation classes that occurred in sufficient numbers to allow statistical analysis. Similarly, rates of decline in fitness, as measured by intrinsic rate of population increase and of body size at first reproduction, were negligibly affected by metal exposure. We can reject the possibility that Daphnia were insufficiently stressed to invoke genetic responses as we have previously shown rates of large-scale deletions and duplications are elevated under metal exposure in this experiment. Overall, the mutation accumulation lines did not significantly depart from initial values for phenotypic traits measured, indicating the lineage used was broadly mutationally robust. Taken together, these results indicate that the mutagenic effects of chronic low-level exposure to these metals are restricted to certain mutation classes and that fitness consequences are likely minor and therefore unlikely to be relevant in determining the evolutionary responses of populations exposed to these stressors.
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19
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Chain FJJ, Flynn JM, Bull JK, Cristescu ME. Accelerated rates of large-scale mutations in the presence of copper and nickel. Genome Res 2019; 29:64-73. [PMID: 30487211 PMCID: PMC6314161 DOI: 10.1101/gr.234724.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Mutation rate variation has been under intense investigation for decades. Despite these efforts, little is known about the extent to which environmental stressors accelerate mutation rates and influence the genetic load of populations. Moreover, most studies on stressors have focused on unicellular organisms and point mutations rather than large-scale deletions and duplications (copy number variations [CNVs]). We estimated mutation rates in Daphnia pulex exposed to low levels of environmental stressors as well as the effect of selection on de novo mutations. We conducted a mutation accumulation (MA) experiment in which selection was minimized, coupled with an experiment in which a population was propagated under competitive conditions in a benign environment. After an average of 103 generations of MA propagation, we sequenced 60 genomes and found significantly accelerated rates of deletions and duplications in MA lines exposed to ecologically relevant concentrations of metals. Whereas control lines had gene deletion and duplication rates comparable to other multicellular eukaryotes (1.8 × 10-6 per gene per generation), the presence of nickel and copper increased these rates fourfold. The realized mutation rate under selection was reduced to 0.4× that of control MA lines, providing evidence that CNVs contribute to mutational load. Our CNV breakpoint analysis revealed that nonhomologous recombination associated with regions of DNA fragility is the primary source of CNVs, plausibly linking metal-induced DNA strand breaks with higher CNV rates. Our findings suggest that environmental stress, in particular multiple stressors, can have profound effects on large-scale mutation rates and mutational load of multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric J J Chain
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Jullien M Flynn
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - James K Bull
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1B1, Canada
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20
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Katju V, Bergthorsson U. Old Trade, New Tricks: Insights into the Spontaneous Mutation Process from the Partnering of Classical Mutation Accumulation Experiments with High-Throughput Genomic Approaches. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:136-165. [PMID: 30476040 PMCID: PMC6330053 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations spawn genetic variation which, in turn, fuels evolution. Hence, experimental investigations into the rate and fitness effects of spontaneous mutations are central to the study of evolution. Mutation accumulation (MA) experiments have served as a cornerstone for furthering our understanding of spontaneous mutations for four decades. In the pregenomic era, phenotypic measurements of fitness-related traits in MA lines were used to indirectly estimate key mutational parameters, such as the genomic mutation rate, new mutational variance per generation, and the average fitness effect of mutations. Rapidly emerging next-generating sequencing technology has supplanted this phenotype-dependent approach, enabling direct empirical estimates of the mutation rate and a more nuanced understanding of the relative contributions of different classes of mutations to the standing genetic variation. Whole-genome sequencing of MA lines bears immense potential to provide a unified account of the evolutionary process at multiple levels-the genetic basis of variation, and the evolutionary dynamics of mutations under the forces of selection and drift. In this review, we have attempted to synthesize key insights into the spontaneous mutation process that are rapidly emerging from the partnering of classical MA experiments with high-throughput sequencing, with particular emphasis on the spontaneous rates and molecular properties of different mutational classes in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of diverse taxa, the contribution of mutations to the evolution of gene expression, and the rate and stability of transgenerational epigenetic modifications. Future advances in sequencing technologies will enable greater species representation to further refine our understanding of mutational parameters and their functional consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaishali Katju
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4458
| | - Ulfar Bergthorsson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4458
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21
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Christy SF, Wernick RI, Lue MJ, Velasco G, Howe DK, Denver DR, Estes S. Adaptive Evolution under Extreme Genetic Drift in Oxidatively Stressed Caenorhabditis elegans. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:3008-3022. [PMID: 29069345 PMCID: PMC5714194 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A mutation-accumulation (MA) experiment with Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes was conducted in which replicate, independently evolving lines were initiated from a low-fitness mitochondrial electron transport chain mutant, gas-1. The original intent of the study was to assess the effect of electron transport chain dysfunction involving elevated reactive oxygen species production on patterns of spontaneous germline mutation. In contrast to results of standard MA experiments, gas-1 MA lines evolved slightly higher mean fitness alongside reduced among-line genetic variance compared with their ancestor. Likewise, the gas-1 MA lines experienced partial recovery to wildtype reactive oxygen species levels. Whole-genome sequencing and analysis revealed that the molecular spectrum but not the overall rate of nuclear DNA mutation differed from wildtype patterns. Further analysis revealed an enrichment of mutations in loci that occur in a gas-1-centric region of the C. elegans interactome, and could be classified into a small number of functional-genomic categories. Characterization of a backcrossed four-mutation set isolated from one gas-1 MA line revealed this combination to be beneficial on both gas-1 mutant and wildtype genetic backgrounds. Our combined results suggest that selection favoring beneficial mutations can be powerful even under unfavorable population genetic conditions, and agree with fitness landscape theory predicting an inverse relationship between population fitness and the likelihood of adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Dana K Howe
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University
| | - Dee R Denver
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University
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22
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Abstract
Understanding the context-dependence of spontaneous mutations is crucial to predicting evolutionary trajectories. In this experiment, the impact of genetic background and trait-type on mutational susceptibility was investigated. Mutant and non-mutant lines of six unique genotypes from two populations of Daphnia magna were phenotypically assayed using a common-garden experiment. Morphological, life-history, and behavioral traits were measured and estimates of the mutation parameters were generated. The mutation parameters varied between the populations and among genotypes, suggesting differential susceptibility to mutation depending upon genomic background. Traits also varied in their susceptibility to mutation with behavioral traits evolving more rapidly than life-history and morphological traits. These results may reflect the unique selection histories of these populations.
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23
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Johnson LM, Chandler LM, Davies SK, Baer CF. Network Architecture and Mutational Sensitivity of the C. elegans Metabolome. Front Mol Biosci 2018; 5:69. [PMID: 30109234 PMCID: PMC6079199 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2018.00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental issue in evolutionary systems biology is understanding the relationship between the topological architecture of a biological network, such as a metabolic network, and the evolution of the network. The rate at which an element in a metabolic network accumulates genetic variation via new mutations depends on both the size of the mutational target it presents and its robustness to mutational perturbation. Quantifying the relationship between topological properties of network elements and the mutability of those elements will facilitate understanding the variation in and evolution of networks at the level of populations and higher taxa. We report an investigation into the relationship between two topological properties of 29 metabolites in the C. elegans metabolic network and the sensitivity of those metabolites to the cumulative effects of spontaneous mutation. The correlations between measures of network centrality and mutability are not statistically significant, but several trends point toward a weak positive association between network centrality and mutational sensitivity. There is a small but significant negative association between the mutational correlation of a pair of metabolites (rM) and the shortest path length between those metabolites. Positive association between the centrality of a metabolite and its mutational heritability is consistent with centrally-positioned metabolites presenting a larger mutational target than peripheral ones, and is inconsistent with centrality conferring mutational robustness, at least in toto. The weakness of the correlation between rM and the shortest path length between pairs of metabolites suggests that network locality is an important but not overwhelming factor governing mutational pleiotropy. These findings provide necessary background against which the effects of other evolutionary forces, most importantly natural selection, can be interpreted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay M Johnson
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Luke M Chandler
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sarah K Davies
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.,University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, FL, United States
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24
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Xie Z, Wang L, Wang L, Wang Z, Lu Z, Tian D, Yang S, Hurst LD. Mutation rate analysis via parent-progeny sequencing of the perennial peach. I. A low rate in woody perennials and a higher mutagenicity in hybrids. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1016. [PMID: 27798292 PMCID: PMC5095371 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutation rates vary between species, between strains within species and between regions within a genome. What are the determinants of these forms of variation? Here, via parent–offspring sequencing of the peach we ask whether (i) woody perennials tend to have lower per unit time mutation rates compared to annuals, and (ii) hybrid strains have high mutation rates. Between a leaf from a low heterozygosity individual, derived from an intraspecific cross, to a leaf of its selfed progeny, the mutation rate is 7.77 × 10−9 point mutations per bp per generation, similar to Arabidopsis thaliana (7.0–7.4 × 10−9 point mutations per bp per generation). This suggests a low per unit time mutation rate as the generation time is much longer in peach. This is supported by our estimate of 9.48 × 10−9 point mutations per bp per generation from a 200-year-old low heterozygosity peach to its progeny. From a more highly heterozygous individual derived from an interspecific cross to its selfed progeny, the mutation rate is 1.38 × 10−8 mutations per site per generation, consistent with raised rates in hybrids. Our data thus suggest that (i) peach has an approximately order of magnitude lower mutation rate per unit time than Arabidopsis, consistent with reports of low evolutionary rates in woody perennials, and (ii) hybridization may, indeed, be associated with increased mutation rates as considered over a century ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengqing Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Long Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Lirong Wang
- Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Zhengzhou 450009, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Zhengzhou 450009, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenhua Lu
- Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Zhengzhou 450009, People's Republic of China
| | - Dacheng Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Sihai Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Laurence D Hurst
- The Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
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25
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Belfield EJ, Ding ZJ, Jamieson FJC, Visscher AM, Zheng SJ, Mithani A, Harberd NP. DNA mismatch repair preferentially protects genes from mutation. Genome Res 2017; 28:66-74. [PMID: 29233924 PMCID: PMC5749183 DOI: 10.1101/gr.219303.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Mutation is the source of genetic variation and fuels biological evolution. Many mutations first arise as DNA replication errors. These errors subsequently evade correction by cellular DNA repair, for example, by the well-known DNA mismatch repair (MMR) mechanism. Here, we determine the genome-wide effects of MMR on mutation. We first identify almost 9000 mutations accumulated over five generations in eight MMR-deficient mutation accumulation (MA) lines of the model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana. We then show that MMR deficiency greatly increases the frequency of both smaller-scale insertions and deletions (indels) and of single-nucleotide variant (SNV) mutations. Most indels involve A or T nucleotides and occur preferentially in homopolymeric (poly A or poly T) genomic stretches. In addition, we find that the likelihood of occurrence of indels in homopolymeric stretches is strongly related to stretch length, and that this relationship causes ultrahigh localized mutation rates in specific homopolymeric stretch regions. For SNVs, we show that MMR deficiency both increases their frequency and changes their molecular mutational spectrum, causing further enhancement of the GC to AT bias characteristic of organisms with normal MMR function. Our final genome-wide analyses show that MMR deficiency disproportionately increases the numbers of SNVs in genes, rather than in nongenic regions of the genome. This latter observation indicates that MMR preferentially protects genes from mutation and has important consequences for understanding the evolution of genomes during both natural selection and human tumor growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Belfield
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom
| | - Zhong Jie Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Fiona J C Jamieson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom
| | - Anne M Visscher
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom.,Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TN, United Kingdom
| | - Shao Jian Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Aziz Mithani
- Department of Biology, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), DHA, Lahore 54792, Pakistan
| | - Nicholas P Harberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom
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26
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Noble LM, Chelo I, Guzella T, Afonso B, Riccardi DD, Ammerman P, Dayarian A, Carvalho S, Crist A, Pino-Querido A, Shraiman B, Rockman MV, Teotónio H. Polygenicity and Epistasis Underlie Fitness-Proximal Traits in the Caenorhabditis elegans Multiparental Experimental Evolution (CeMEE) Panel. Genetics 2017; 207:1663-1685. [PMID: 29066469 PMCID: PMC5714472 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.117.300406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic basis of complex traits remains a major challenge in biology. Polygenicity, phenotypic plasticity, and epistasis contribute to phenotypic variance in ways that are rarely clear. This uncertainty can be problematic for estimating heritability, for predicting individual phenotypes from genomic data, and for parameterizing models of phenotypic evolution. Here, we report an advanced recombinant inbred line (RIL) quantitative trait locus mapping panel for the hermaphroditic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the C. elegans multiparental experimental evolution (CeMEE) panel. The CeMEE panel, comprising 507 RILs at present, was created by hybridization of 16 wild isolates, experimental evolution for 140-190 generations, and inbreeding by selfing for 13-16 generations. The panel contains 22% of single-nucleotide polymorphisms known to segregate in natural populations, and complements existing C. elegans mapping resources by providing fine resolution and high nucleotide diversity across > 95% of the genome. We apply it to study the genetic basis of two fitness components, fertility and hermaphrodite body size at time of reproduction, with high broad-sense heritability in the CeMEE. While simulations show that we should detect common alleles with additive effects as small as 5%, at gene-level resolution, the genetic architectures of these traits do not feature such alleles. We instead find that a significant fraction of trait variance, approaching 40% for fertility, can be explained by sign epistasis with main effects below the detection limit. In congruence, phenotype prediction from genomic similarity, while generally poor ([Formula: see text]), requires modeling epistasis for optimal accuracy, with most variance attributed to the rapidly evolving chromosome arms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke M Noble
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York 10003
| | - Ivo Chelo
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, P-2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Thiago Guzella
- Institut de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 8197, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1024, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Bruno Afonso
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, P-2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal
- Institut de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 8197, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1024, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - David D Riccardi
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York 10003
| | - Patrick Ammerman
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York 10003
| | - Adel Dayarian
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | - Sara Carvalho
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, P-2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Anna Crist
- Institut de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 8197, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1024, F-75005 Paris, France
| | | | - Boris Shraiman
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | - Matthew V Rockman
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York 10003
| | - Henrique Teotónio
- Institut de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) UMR 8197, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1024, F-75005 Paris, France
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Mutation independently affects reproductive traits and dauer larvae development in mutation accumulation lines of Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev Genes Evol 2017; 227:411-414. [PMID: 29170831 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-017-0596-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Developmental decisions are important in organismal fitness. For the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which is naturally found in the ephemeral food patches formed by rotting plant material, correctly committing to dauer or non-dauer larval development is key to genotype survival. To investigate the link between reproductive traits, which will determine how populations grow, and dauer larvae formation, we have analysed these traits in mutation accumulation lines of C. elegans. We find that reproductive traits of individual worms-the total number of progeny and the timing of progeny production-are highly correlated with the population size observed in growing populations. In contrast, we find no relationship between reproduction traits and the number of dauer larvae observed in growing populations. We also do not observe a mutational bias in dauer larvae formation. These results indicate that the control of dauer larvae formation is distinct from the control of reproduction and that differences in dauer larvae formation can evolve rapidly.
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The mutational decay of male-male and hermaphrodite-hermaphrodite competitive fitness in the androdioecious nematode C. elegans. Heredity (Edinb) 2017; 120:1-12. [PMID: 29234171 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-017-0003-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Androdioecious Caenorhabditis have a high frequency of self-compatible hermaphrodites and a low frequency of males. The effects of mutations on male fitness are of interest for two reasons. First, when males are rare, selection on male-specific mutations is less efficient than in hermaphrodites. Second, males may present a larger mutational target than hermaphrodites because of the different ways in which fitness accrues in the two sexes. We report the first estimates of male-specific mutational effects in an androdioecious organism. The rate of male-specific inviable or sterile mutations is ⩽5 × 10-4/generation, below the rate at which males would be lost solely due to those kinds of mutations. The rate of mutational decay of male competitive fitness is ~ 0.17%/generation; that of hermaphrodite competitive fitness is ~ 0.11%/generation. The point estimate of ~ 1.5X faster rate of mutational decay of male fitness is nearly identical to the same ratio in Drosophila. Estimates of mutational variance (VM) for male mating success and competitive fitness are not significantly different from zero, whereas VM for hermaphrodite competitive fitness is similar to that of non-competitive fitness. Two independent estimates of the average selection coefficient against mutations affecting hermaphrodite competitive fitness agree to within two-fold, 0.33-0.5%.
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29
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Yanai I. Development and Evolution through the Lens of Global Gene Regulation. Trends Genet 2017; 34:11-20. [PMID: 29061469 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Evolution and development are two inherently intertwined processes. As the embryo develops it does so in ways that both reflect past constraints and bias the future evolution of the species. While research exploiting this insight typically studies individual genes, transcriptomic analyses have sparked a new wave of discoveries. In this opinion piece, I review the evidence arising from transcriptomics on the topics of the evolution of germ layers, the phylotypic stage, and developmental constraints. The spatiotemporal pattern of gene expression across germ layers provides evidence that the endoderm was the first germ layer to evolve. Comparing transcriptome dynamics throughout developmental time across distant species reveals a mid-developmental transition under strong developmental constraints. These studies highlight the efficiency of exploratory data analysis using computational tools and comparative approaches for discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itai Yanai
- Institute for Computational Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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30
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Teotónio H, Estes S, Phillips PC, Baer CF. Experimental Evolution with Caenorhabditis Nematodes. Genetics 2017; 206:691-716. [PMID: 28592504 PMCID: PMC5499180 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.186288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The hermaphroditic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the primary model systems in biology since the 1970s, but only within the last two decades has this nematode also become a useful model for experimental evolution. Here, we outline the goals and major foci of experimental evolution with C. elegans and related species, such as C. briggsae and C. remanei, by discussing the principles of experimental design, and highlighting the strengths and limitations of Caenorhabditis as model systems. We then review three exemplars of Caenorhabditis experimental evolution studies, underlining representative evolution experiments that have addressed the: (1) maintenance of genetic variation; (2) role of natural selection during transitions from outcrossing to selfing, as well as the maintenance of mixed breeding modes during evolution; and (3) evolution of phenotypic plasticity and its role in adaptation to variable environments, including host-pathogen coevolution. We conclude by suggesting some future directions for which experimental evolution with Caenorhabditis would be particularly informative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique Teotónio
- Institut de Biologie de l´École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1024, Centre Nationnal de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 8197, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Suzanne Estes
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Oregon 97201
| | - Patrick C Phillips
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, 5289 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, and
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, and
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
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31
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Ellis RE. Evo-devo: Developmental constraints. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:128. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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32
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Developmental constraints shape the evolution of the nematode mid-developmental transition. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:113. [PMID: 28812710 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary theory assumes that genetic variation is uniform and gradual in nature, yet morphological and gene expression studies have revealed that different life-stages exhibit distinct levels of cross-species conservation. In particular, a stage in mid-embryogenesis is highly conserved across species of the same phylum, suggesting that this stage is subject to developmental constraints, either by increased purifying selection or by a strong mutational bias. An alternative explanation, however, holds that the same 'hourglass' pattern of variation may result from increased positive selection at the earlier and later stages of development. To distinguish between these scenarios, we examined gene expression variation in a population of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans using an experimental design that eliminated the influence of positive selection. By measuring gene expression for all genes throughout development in 20 strains, we found that variations were highly uneven throughout development, with a significant depletion during mid-embryogenesis. In particular, the family of homeodomain transcription factors, whose expression generally coincides with mid-embryogenesis, evolved under high constraint. Our data further show that genes responsible for the integration of germ layers during morphogenesis are the most constrained class of genes. Together, these results provide strong evidence for developmental constraints as the mechanism underlying the hourglass model of animal evolution. Understanding the pattern and mechanism of developmental constraints provides a framework to understand how evolutionary processes have interacted with embryogenesis and led to the diversity of animal life on Earth.
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33
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Liu H, Jia Y, Sun X, Tian D, Hurst LD, Yang S. Direct Determination of the Mutation Rate in the Bumblebee Reveals Evidence for Weak Recombination-Associated Mutation and an Approximate Rate Constancy in Insects. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:119-130. [PMID: 28007973 PMCID: PMC5854123 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msw226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurate knowledge of the mutation rate provides a base line for inferring expected rates of evolution, for testing evolutionary hypotheses and for estimation of key parameters. Advances in sequencing technology now permit direct estimates of the mutation rate from sequencing of close relatives. Within insects there have been three prior such estimates, two in nonsocial insects (Drosophila: 2.8 × 10-9 per bp per haploid genome per generation; Heliconius: 2.9 × 10-9) and one in a social species, the honeybee (3.4 × 10-9). Might the honeybee's rate be ∼20% higher because it has an exceptionally high recombination rate and recombination may be directly or indirectly mutagenic? To address this possibility, we provide a direct estimate of the mutation rate in the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), this being a close relative of the honeybee but with a much lower recombination rate. We confirm that the crossover rate of the bumblebee is indeed much lower than honeybees (8.7 cM/Mb vs. 37 cM/Mb). Importantly, we find no significant difference in the mutation rates: we estimate for bumblebees a rate of 3.6 × 10-9 per haploid genome per generation (95% confidence intervals 2.38 × 10-9 and 5.37 × 10-9) which is just 5% higher than the estimate that of honeybees. Both genomes have approximately one new mutation per haploid genome per generation. While we find evidence for a direct coupling between recombination and mutation (also seen in honeybees), the effect is so weak as to leave almost no footprint on any between-species differences. The similarity in mutation rates suggests an approximate constancy of the mutation rate in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoxuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanxiao Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoguang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Dacheng Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Laurence D Hurst
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, The Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Sihai Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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34
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Zhu YO, Sherlock G, Petrov DA. Extremely Rare Polymorphisms in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Allow Inference of the Mutational Spectrum. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1006455. [PMID: 28046117 PMCID: PMC5207638 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The characterization of mutational spectra is usually carried out in one of three ways-by direct observation through mutation accumulation (MA) experiments, through parent-offspring sequencing, or by indirect inference from sequence data. Direct observations of spontaneous mutations with MA experiments are limited, given (i) the rarity of spontaneous mutations, (ii) applicability only to laboratory model species with short generation times, and (iii) the possibility that mutational spectra under lab conditions might be different from those observed in nature. Trio sequencing is an elegant solution, but it is not applicable in all organisms. Indirect inference, usually from divergence data, faces no such technical limitations, but rely upon critical assumptions regarding the strength of natural selection that are likely to be violated. Ideally, new mutational events would be directly observed before the biased filter of selection, and without the technical limitations common to lab experiments. One approach is to identify very young mutations from population sequencing data. Here we do so by leveraging two characteristics common to all new mutations-new mutations are necessarily rare in the population, and absent in the genomes of immediate relatives. From 132 clinical yeast strains, we were able to identify 1,425 putatively new mutations and show that they exhibit extremely low signatures of selection, as well as display a mutational spectrum that is similar to that identified by a large scale MA experiment. We verify that population sequencing data are a potential wealth of information for inferring mutational spectra, and should be considered for analysis where MA experiments are infeasible or especially tedious.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan O. Zhu
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gavin Sherlock
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Dmitri A. Petrov
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
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35
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Davies SK, Leroi A, Burt A, Bundy JG, Baer CF. The mutational structure of metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans. Evolution 2016; 70:2239-2246. [PMID: 27465022 PMCID: PMC5050113 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2015] [Revised: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A properly functioning organism must maintain metabolic homeostasis. Deleterious mutations degrade organismal function, presumably at least in part via effects on metabolic function. Here we present an initial investigation into the mutational structure of the Caenorhabditis elegans metabolome by means of a mutation accumulation experiment. We find that pool sizes of 29 metabolites vary greatly in their vulnerability to mutation, both in terms of the rate of accumulation of genetic variance (the mutational variance, VM) and the rate of change of the trait mean (the mutational bias, ΔM). Strikingly, some metabolites are much more vulnerable to mutation than any other trait previously studied in the same way. Although we cannot statistically assess the strength of mutational correlations between individual metabolites, principal component analysis provides strong evidence that some metabolite pools are genetically correlated, but also that there is substantial scope for independent evolution of different groups of metabolites. Averaged over mutation accumulation lines, PC3 is positively correlated with relative fitness, but a model in which metabolites are uncorrelated with fitness is nearly as good by Akaike's Information Criterion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Davies
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Armand Leroi
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Austin Burt
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Jacob G Bundy
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
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36
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Mutation Is a Sufficient and Robust Predictor of Genetic Variation for Mitotic Spindle Traits in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2016; 203:1859-70. [PMID: 27334268 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.185736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Different types of phenotypic traits consistently exhibit different levels of genetic variation in natural populations. There are two potential explanations: Either mutation produces genetic variation at different rates or natural selection removes or promotes genetic variation at different rates. Whether mutation or selection is of greater general importance is a longstanding unresolved question in evolutionary genetics. We report mutational variances (VM) for 19 traits related to the first mitotic cell division in Caenorhabditis elegans and compare them to the standing genetic variances (VG) for the same suite of traits in a worldwide collection C. elegans Two robust conclusions emerge. First, the mutational process is highly repeatable: The correlation between VM in two independent sets of mutation accumulation lines is ∼0.9. Second, VM for a trait is a good predictor of VG for that trait: The correlation between VM and VG is ∼0.9. This result is predicted for a population at mutation-selection balance; it is not predicted if balancing selection plays a primary role in maintaining genetic variation.
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37
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Wernick RI, Estes S, Howe DK, Denver DR. Paths of Heritable Mitochondrial DNA Mutation and Heteroplasmy in Reference and gas-1 Strains of Caenorhabditis elegans. Front Genet 2016; 7:51. [PMID: 27148352 PMCID: PMC4829587 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2016.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Heteroplasmy—the presence of more than one mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence type in a cell, tissue, or individual—impacts human mitochondrial disease and numerous aging-related syndromes. Understanding the trans-generational dynamics of mtDNA is critical to understanding the underlying mechanisms of mitochondrial disease and evolution. We investigated mtDNA mutation and heteroplasmy using a set of wild-type (N2 strain) and mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) mutant (gas-1) mutant Caenorhabditis elegans mutation-accumulation (MA) lines. The N2 MA lines, derived from a previous experiment, were bottlenecked for 250 generations. The gas-1 MA lines were created for this study, and bottlenecked in the laboratory for up to 50 generations. We applied Illumina-MiSeq DNA sequencing to L1 larvae from five gas-1 MA lines and five N2 MA lines to detect and characterize mtDNA mutation and heteroplasmic inheritance patterns evolving under extreme drift. mtDNA copy number increased in both sets of MA lines: three-fold on average among the gas-1 MA lines and five-fold on average among N2 MA lines. Eight heteroplasmic single base substitution polymorphisms were detected in the gas-1 MA lines; only one was observed in the N2 MA lines. Heteroplasmy frequencies ranged broadly in the gas-1 MA lines, from as low as 2.3% to complete fixation (homoplasmy). An initially low-frequency (<5%) heteroplasmy discovered in the gas-1 progenitor was observed to fix in one gas-1 MA line, achieve higher frequency (37.4%) in another, and be lost in the other three lines. A similar low-frequency heteroplasmy was detected in the N2 progenitor, but was lost in all five N2 MA lines. We identified three insertion-deletion (indel) heteroplasmies in gas-1 MA lines and six indel variants in the N2 MA lines, most occurring at homopolymeric nucleotide runs. The observed bias toward accumulation of single nucleotide polymorphisms in gas-1 MA lines is consistent with the idea that impaired mitochondrial activity renders mtDNA more vulnerable to this type of mutation. The consistent increases in mtDNA copy number implies that extreme genetic drift provides a permissive environment for elevated organelle genome copy number in C. elegans reference and gas-1 strains. This study broadens our understanding of the heteroplasmic mitochondrial mutation process in a multicellular model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riana I Wernick
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Suzanne Estes
- Department of Biology, Portland State University Portland, OR, USA
| | - Dana K Howe
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Dee R Denver
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University Corvallis, OR, USA
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38
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Low Genetic Quality Alters Key Dimensions of the Mutational Spectrum. PLoS Biol 2016; 14:e1002419. [PMID: 27015430 PMCID: PMC4807879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations affect individual health, population persistence, adaptation, diversification, and genome evolution. There is evidence that the mutation rate varies among genotypes, but the causes of this variation are poorly understood. Here, we link differences in genetic quality with variation in spontaneous mutation in a Drosophila mutation accumulation experiment. We find that chromosomes maintained in low-quality genetic backgrounds experience a higher rate of indel mutation and a lower rate of gene conversion in a manner consistent with condition-based differences in the mechanisms used to repair DNA double strand breaks. These aspects of the mutational spectrum were also associated with body mass, suggesting that the effect of genetic quality on DNA repair was mediated by overall condition, and providing a mechanistic explanation for the differences in mutational fitness decline among these genotypes. The rate and spectrum of substitutions was unaffected by genetic quality, but we find variation in the probability of substitutions and indels with respect to several aspects of local sequence context, particularly GC content, with implications for models of molecular evolution and genome scans for signs of selection. Our finding that the chances of mutation depend on genetic context and overall condition has important implications for how sequences evolve, the risk of extinction, and human health.
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39
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Abiotic stress does not magnify the deleterious effects of spontaneous mutations. Heredity (Edinb) 2015; 115:503-8. [PMID: 26103946 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2015.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Revised: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the effects of deleterious alleles often are predicted to be greater in stressful environments, there is no theoretical basis for this prediction and the empirical evidence is mixed. Here we characterized the effects of three types of abiotic stress (thermal, oxidative and hyperosmotic) on two sets of nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) mutation accumulation (MA) lines that differ by threefold in fitness. We compared the survival and egg-to-adult viability between environments (benign and stressful) and between fitness categories (high-fitness MA, low-fitness MA). If the environment and mutation load have synergistic effects on trait means, then the difference between the high and low-fitness MA lines should be larger in stressful environments. Although the stress treatments consistently decreased survival and/or viability, we did not detect significant interactions between fitness categories and environment types. In contrast, we did find consistent evidence for synergistic effects on (micro)environmental variation. The lack of signal in trait means likely reflects the very low starting fitness of some low-fitness MA lines, the potential for cross-stress responses and the context dependence of mutational effects. In addition, the large increases in the environmental variance in the stressful environments may have masked small changes in trait means. These results do not provide evidence for synergism between mutation and stress.
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40
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Farhadifar R, Baer CF, Valfort AC, Andersen EC, Müller-Reichert T, Delattre M, Needleman DJ. Scaling, selection, and evolutionary dynamics of the mitotic spindle. Curr Biol 2015; 25:732-740. [PMID: 25683802 PMCID: PMC10504684 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.12.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Revised: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 12/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cellular structures such as the nucleus, Golgi, centrioles, and spindle show remarkable diversity between species, but the mechanisms that produce these variations in cell biology are not known. RESULTS Here we investigate the mechanisms that contribute to variations in morphology and dynamics of the mitotic spindle, which orchestrates chromosome segregation in all Eukaryotes and positions the division plane in many organisms. We use high-throughput imaging of the first division in nematodes to demonstrate that the measured effects of spontaneous mutations, combined with stabilizing selection on cell size, are sufficient to quantitatively explain both the levels of within-species variation in the spindle and its diversity over ∼100 million years of evolution. Furthermore, our finding of extensive within-species variation for the spindle demonstrates that there is not just one "wild-type" form, rather that cellular structures can exhibit a surprisingly broad diversity of naturally occurring behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Our results argue that natural selection acts predominantly on cell size and indirectly influences the spindle through the scaling of the spindle with cell size. Previous studies have shown that the spindle also scales with cell size during early development. Thus, the scaling of the spindle with cell size controls its variation over both ontogeny and phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Farhadifar
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Charles F Baer
- Department of Biology and University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Aurore-Cécile Valfort
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Cell, UMR 5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 69007 Lyon, France
| | - Erik C Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Thomas Müller-Reichert
- Experimental Center, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fiedlerstrasse 42, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Marie Delattre
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Cell, UMR 5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 69007 Lyon, France
| | - Daniel J Needleman
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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41
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Etienne V, Andersen EC, Ponciano JM, Blanton D, Cadavid A, Joyner-Matos J, Matsuba C, Tabman B, Baer CF. The red death meets the abdominal bristle: polygenic mutation for susceptibility to a bacterial pathogen in Caenorhabditis elegans. Evolution 2015; 69:508-19. [PMID: 25495240 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 12/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the genetic basis of susceptibility to pathogens is an important goal of medicine and of evolutionary biology. A key first step toward understanding the genetics and evolution of any phenotypic trait is characterizing the role of mutation. However, the rate at which mutation introduces genetic variance for pathogen susceptibility in any organism is essentially unknown. Here, we quantify the per-generation input of genetic variance by mutation (VM) for susceptibility of Caenorhabditis elegans to the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (defined as the median time of death, LT50). VM for LT50 is slightly less than VM for a variety of life-history and morphological traits in this strain of C. elegans, but is well within the range of reported values in a variety of organisms. Mean LT50 did not change significantly over 250 generations of mutation accumulation. Comparison of VM to the standing genetic variance (VG) implies a strength of selection against new mutations of a few tenths of a percent. These results suggest that the substantial standing genetic variation for susceptibility of C. elegans to P. aeruginosa can be explained by polygenic mutation coupled with purifying selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronique Etienne
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118525, Gainesville, Florida, 32611
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42
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Katju V, Packard LB, Bu L, Keightley PD, Bergthorsson U. Fitness decline in spontaneous mutation accumulation lines of Caenorhabditis elegans with varying effective population sizes. Evolution 2014; 69:104-16. [PMID: 25338758 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The rate and fitness effects of new mutations have been investigated by mutation accumulation (MA) experiments in which organisms are maintained at a constant minimal population size to facilitate the accumulation of mutations with minimal efficacy of selection. We evolved 35 MA lines of Caenorhabditis elegans in parallel for 409 generations at three population sizes (N = 1, 10, and 100), representing the first spontaneous long-term MA experiment at varying population sizes with corresponding differences in the efficacy of selection. Productivity and survivorship in the N = 1 lines declined by 44% and 12%, respectively. The average effects of deleterious mutations in N = 1 lines are estimated to be 16.4% for productivity and 11.8% for survivorship. Larger populations (N = 10 and 100) did not suffer a significant decline in fitness traits despite a lengthy and sustained regime of consecutive bottlenecks exceeding 400 generations. Together, these results suggest that fitness decline in very small populations is dominated by mutations with large deleterious effects. It is possible that the MA lines at larger population sizes contain a load of cryptic deleterious mutations of small to moderate effects that would be revealed in more challenging environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaishali Katju
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131.
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43
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Grimbert S, Braendle C. Cryptic genetic variation uncovers evolution of environmentally sensitive parameters inCaenorhabditisvulval development. Evol Dev 2014; 16:278-91. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Grimbert
- Institut de Biologie Valrose; CNRS UMR7277, Parc Valrose; 06108 Nice cedex 02 France
- INSERM U1091; 06108 Nice cedex 02 France
- Université Nice Sophia Antipolis; UFR Sciences; 06108 Nice cedex 02 France
| | - Christian Braendle
- Institut de Biologie Valrose; CNRS UMR7277, Parc Valrose; 06108 Nice cedex 02 France
- INSERM U1091; 06108 Nice cedex 02 France
- Université Nice Sophia Antipolis; UFR Sciences; 06108 Nice cedex 02 France
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44
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Morgan AD, Ness RW, Keightley PD, Colegrave N. Spontaneous mutation accumulation in multiple strains of the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Evolution 2014; 68:2589-602. [PMID: 24826801 PMCID: PMC4277324 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Estimates of mutational parameters, such as the average fitness effect of a new mutation and the rate at which new genetic variation for fitness is created by mutation, are important for the understanding of many biological processes. However, the causes of interspecific variation in mutational parameters and the extent to which they vary within species remain largely unknown. We maintained multiple strains of the unicellular eukaryote Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, for approximately 1000 generations under relaxed selection by transferring a single cell every ∼10 generations. Mean fitness of the lines tended to decline with generations of mutation accumulation whereas mutational variance increased. We did not find any evidence for differences among strains in any of the mutational parameters estimated. The overall change in mean fitness per cell division and rate of input of mutational variance per cell division were more similar to values observed in multicellular organisms than to those in other single-celled microbes. However, after taking into account differences in genome size among species, estimates from multicellular organisms and microbes, including our new estimates from C. reinhardtii, become substantially more similar. Thus, we suggest that variation in genome size is an important determinant of interspecific variation in mutational parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Morgan
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JT, United Kingdom
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45
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Abstract
Mutation is the ultimate source of genetic variation. The most direct and unbiased method of studying spontaneous mutations is via mutation accumulation (MA) lines. Until recently, MA experiments were limited by the cost of sequencing and thus provided us with small numbers of mutational events and therefore imprecise estimates of rates and patterns of mutation. We used whole-genome sequencing to identify nearly 1,000 spontaneous mutation events accumulated over ∼311,000 generations in 145 diploid MA lines of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. MA experiments are usually assumed to have negligible levels of selection, but even mild selection will remove strongly deleterious events. We take advantage of such patterns of selection and show that mutation classes such as indels and aneuploidies (especially monosomies) are proportionately much more likely to contribute mutations of large effect. We also provide conservative estimates of indel, aneuploidy, environment-dependent dominant lethal, and recessive lethal mutation rates. To our knowledge, for the first time in yeast MA data, we identified a sufficiently large number of single-nucleotide mutations to measure context-dependent mutation rates and were able to (i) confirm strong AT bias of mutation in yeast driven by high rate of mutations from C/G to T/A and (ii) detect a higher rate of mutation at C/G nucleotides in two specific contexts consistent with cytosine methylation in S. cerevisiae.
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46
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Awad DA, Gallina S, Bonamy C, Billiard S. The interaction between selection, demography and selfing and how it affects population viability. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86125. [PMID: 24465911 PMCID: PMC3897648 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Population extinction due to the accumulation of deleterious mutations has only been considered to occur at small population sizes, large sexual populations being expected to efficiently purge these mutations. However, little is known about how the mutation load generated by segregating mutations affects population size and, eventually, population extinction. We propose a simple analytical model that takes into account both the demographic and genetic evolution of populations, linking population size, density dependence, the mutation load, and self-fertilisation. Analytical predictions were found to be relatively good predictors of population size and probability of population viability when verified using an explicit individual based stochastic model. We show that initially large populations do not always reach mutation-selection balance and can go extinct due to the accumulation of segregating deleterious mutations. Population survival depends not only on the relative fitness and demographic stochasticity, but also on the interaction between the two. When deleterious mutations are recessive, self-fertilisation affects viability non-monotonically and genomic cold-spots could favour the viability of outcrossing populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diala Abu Awad
- UMR-CNRS 8198, Laboratoire Génétique et Évolution des Populations Végétales, Université Lille 1, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Sophie Gallina
- UMR-CNRS 8198, Laboratoire Génétique et Évolution des Populations Végétales, Université Lille 1, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Cyrille Bonamy
- Centre de Ressources Informatiques (CRI), Université Lille 1, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Sylvain Billiard
- UMR-CNRS 8198, Laboratoire Génétique et Évolution des Populations Végétales, Université Lille 1, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
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47
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Gray JC, Cutter AD. Mainstreaming Caenorhabditis elegans in experimental evolution. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20133055. [PMID: 24430852 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Experimental evolution provides a powerful manipulative tool for probing evolutionary process and mechanism. As this approach to hypothesis testing has taken purchase in biology, so too has the number of experimental systems that use it, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. The depth of biological knowledge about Caenorhabditis nematodes, combined with their laboratory tractability, positions them well for exploiting experimental evolution in animal systems to understand deep questions in evolution and ecology, as well as in molecular genetics and systems biology. To date, Caenorhabditis elegans and related species have proved themselves in experimental evolution studies of the process of mutation, host-pathogen coevolution, mating system evolution and life-history theory. Yet these organisms are not broadly recognized for their utility for evolution experiments and remain underexploited. Here, we outline this experimental evolution work undertaken so far in Caenorhabditis, detail simple methodological tricks that can be exploited and identify research areas that are ripe for future discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy C Gray
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, , 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada , M5S 3B2
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48
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Opposing forces of A/T-biased mutations and G/C-biased gene conversions shape the genome of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus. Genetics 2014; 196:1145-52. [PMID: 24414549 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.113.159863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Base substitution mutations are a major source of genetic novelty and mutation accumulation line (MAL) studies revealed a nearly universal AT bias in de novo mutation spectra. While a comparison of de novo mutation spectra with the actual nucleotide composition in the genome suggests the existence of general counterbalancing mechanisms, little is known about the evolutionary and historical details of these opposing forces. Here, we correlate MAL-derived mutation spectra with patterns observed from population resequencing. Variation observed in natural populations has already been subject to evolutionary forces. Distinction between rare and common alleles, the latter of which are close to fixation and of presumably older age, can provide insight into mutational processes and their influence on genome evolution. We provide a genome-wide analysis of de novo mutations in 22 MALs of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus and compare the spectra with natural variants observed in resequencing of 104 natural isolates. MALs show an AT bias of 5.3, one of the highest values observed to date. In contrast, the AT bias in natural variants is much lower. Specifically, rare derived alleles show an AT bias of 2.4, whereas common derived alleles close to fixation show no AT bias at all. These results indicate the existence of a strong opposing force and they suggest that the GC content of the P. pacificus genome is in equilibrium. We discuss GC-biased gene conversion as a potential mechanism acting against AT-biased mutations. This study provides insight into genome evolution by combining MAL studies with natural variation.
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49
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Baird SE, Stonesifer R. Reproductive isolation in Caenorhabditis briggsae: Dysgenic interactions between maternal- and zygotic-effect loci result in a delayed development phenotype. WORM 2013; 1:189-95. [PMID: 24058847 PMCID: PMC3670217 DOI: 10.4161/worm.23535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
In sexual species, speciation occurs through the accumulation of genetic barriers to gene flow. In Caenorhabditis briggsae, one such barrier impedes gene flow between temperate strains and the tropical AF16 strain. Up to 20% of F2 progeny derived from crosses of AF16 to strains from the temperate clade exhibit a delayed development phenotype. This phenotype, which results from dysgenic interactions between maternal- and zygyotic-effect loci, causes a ~21% decrease in the intrinsic growth rate. The maternal-effect requires contributions from both parental genotypes. The dysgenic maternal-effect allele appears to be fixed in the temperate clade of C. briggsae and appears to have arisen between 700 and 15,000 y ago. The dysgenic zygotic allele appears to be present only in AF16 and also may be of recent origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Everet Baird
- Department of Biological Sciences; Wright State University; Dayton, OH USA
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50
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The rate and effects of spontaneous mutation on fitness traits in the social amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2013; 3:1115-27. [PMID: 23665876 PMCID: PMC3704240 DOI: 10.1534/g3.113.005934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
We performed a mutation accumulation (MA) experiment in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum to estimate the rate and distribution of effects of spontaneous mutations affecting eight putative fitness traits. We found that the per-generation mutation rate for most fitness components is 0.0019 mutations per haploid genome per generation or larger. This rate is an order of magnitude higher than estimates for fitness components in the unicellular eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae, even though the base-pair substitution rate is two orders of magnitude lower. The high rate of fitness-altering mutations observed in this species may be partially explained by a large mutational target relative to S. cerevisiae. Fitness-altering mutations also may occur primarily at simple sequence repeats, which are common throughout the genome, including in coding regions, and may represent a target that is particularly likely to give fitness effects upon mutation. The majority of mutations had deleterious effects on fitness, but there was evidence for a substantial fraction, up to 40%, being beneficial for some of the putative fitness traits. Competitive ability within the multicellular slug appears to be under weak directional selection, perhaps reflecting the fact that slugs are sometimes, but not often, comprised of multiple clones in nature. Evidence for pleiotropy among fitness components across MA lines was absent, suggesting that mutations tend to act on single fitness components.
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