scholarly journals De Novo Mutation Rate Estimation in Wolves of Known Pedigree

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 2536-2547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan M Koch ◽  
Rena M Schweizer ◽  
Teia M Schweizer ◽  
Daniel R Stahler ◽  
Douglas W Smith ◽  
...  

Abstract Knowledge of mutation rates is crucial for calibrating population genetics models of demographic history in units of years. However, mutation rates remain challenging to estimate because of the need to identify extremely rare events. We estimated the nuclear mutation rate in wolves by identifying de novo mutations in a pedigree of seven wolves. Putative de novo mutations were discovered by whole-genome sequencing and were verified by Sanger sequencing of parents and offspring. Using stringent filters and an estimate of the false negative rate in the remaining observable genome, we obtain an estimate of ∼4.5 × 10−9 per base pair per generation and provide conservative bounds between 2.6 × 10−9 and 7.1 × 10−9. Although our estimate is consistent with recent mutation rate estimates from ancient DNA (4.0 × 10−9 and 3.0–4.5 × 10−9), it suggests a wider possible range. We also examined the consequences of our rate and the accompanying interval for dating several critical events in canid demographic history. For example, applying our full range of rates to coalescent models of dog and wolf demographic history implies a wide set of possible divergence times between the ancestral populations of dogs and extant Eurasian wolves (16,000–64,000 years ago) although our point estimate indicates a date between 25,000 and 33,000 years ago. Aside from one study in mice, ours provides the only direct mammalian mutation rate outside of primates and is likely to be vital to future investigations of mutation rate evolution.

Weed Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 361-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico A. Casale ◽  
Darci A. Giacomini ◽  
Patrick J. Tranel

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


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iliyas Rashid ◽  
Melina Campos ◽  
Travis Collier ◽  
Marc Crepeau ◽  
Allison Weakley ◽  
...  

AbstractUsing high-depth whole genome sequencing of F0 mating pairs and multiple individual F1 offspring, we estimated the nuclear mutation rate per generation in the malaria vectors Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles stephensi by detecting de novo genetic mutations. A purpose-built computer program was employed to filter actual mutations from a deep background of superficially similar artifacts resulting from read misalignment. Performance of filtering parameters was determined using software-simulated mutations, and the resulting estimate of false negative rate was used to correct final mutation rate estimates. Spontaneous mutation rates by base substitution were estimated at 1.00 × 10−9 (95% confidence interval, 2.06 × 10−10—2.91 × 10−9) and 1.36 × 10−9 (95% confidence interval, 4.42 × 10−10—3.18 × 10−9) per site per generation in A. coluzzii and A. stephensi respectively. Although similar studies have been performed on other insect species including dipterans, this is the first study to empirically measure mutation rates in the important genus Anopheles, and thus provides an estimate of µ that will be of utility for comparative evolutionary genomics, as well as for population genetic analysis of malaria vector mosquito species.


2022 ◽  
pp. gr.276103.121
Author(s):  
Daniel Melamed ◽  
Yuval Nov ◽  
Assaf Malik ◽  
Michael B Yakass ◽  
Evgeni Bolotin ◽  
...  

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


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Melamed ◽  
Yuval Nov ◽  
Assaf Malik ◽  
Michael B. Yakass ◽  
Evgeni Bolotin ◽  
...  

While it is known that the mutation rate varies across the genome, previous estimates of it were based on averaging across various numbers of positions. Here we describe a method to measure the origination rates of target mutations at target base positions and apply it to a 6-bp region in the human β–globin (HBB) gene and to the identical, homologous δ–globin (HBD) region in sperm cells from both African and European donors. The HBB region of interest (ROI) includes the site of the hemoglobin S (HbS) mutation, which protects against malaria, is common in Africa and has served as a classic example of adaptation by random mutation and natural selection. We found a significant correspondence between de novo mutation rates and past observations of alleles in carriers, showing that mutation rates vary substantially in a mutation-specific manner that contributes to the site frequency spectrum. We also found that the overall point mutation rate is significantly higher in Africans than Europeans in the HBB region studied. Finally, the rate of the 20A→T mutation, called the ″HbS mutation″ when it appears in HBB, is significantly higher than expected from the genome-wide average for this mutation type. Nine instances of it were observed in the African HBB ROI, where it is of adaptive significance, representing at least three independent originations, and no instances of it were observed in the European HBB ROI or in the European or African HBD ROI. Further studies will be needed to examine mutation rates at the single-mutation resolution across these and other loci and organisms and to uncover the molecular mechanisms responsible.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob W Ness ◽  
Susanne A Kraemer ◽  
Nick Colegrave ◽  
Peter D Keightley

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


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Pfenninger ◽  
Halina Binde Doria ◽  
Jana Nickel ◽  
Anne Thielsch ◽  
Klaus Schwenk ◽  
...  

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


Brain ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (8) ◽  
pp. 2380-2387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisdair McNeill ◽  
Emanuela Iovino ◽  
Luke Mansard ◽  
Christel Vache ◽  
David Baux ◽  
...  

Abstract The SLC12 gene family consists of SLC12A1–SLC12A9, encoding electroneutral cation-coupled chloride co-transporters. SCL12A2 has been shown to play a role in corticogenesis and therefore represents a strong candidate neurodevelopmental disorder gene. Through trio exome sequencing we identified de novo mutations in SLC12A2 in six children with neurodevelopmental disorders. All had developmental delay or intellectual disability ranging from mild to severe. Two had sensorineural deafness. We also identified SLC12A2 variants in three individuals with non-syndromic bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular areflexia. The SLC12A2 de novo mutation rate was demonstrated to be significantly elevated in the deciphering developmental disorders cohort. All tested variants were shown to reduce co-transporter function in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Analysis of SLC12A2 expression in foetal brain at 16–18 weeks post-conception revealed high expression in radial glial cells, compatible with a role in neurogenesis. Gene co-expression analysis in cells robustly expressing SLC12A2 at 16–18 weeks post-conception identified a transcriptomic programme associated with active neurogenesis. We identify SLC12A2 de novo mutations as the cause of a novel neurodevelopmental disorder and bilateral non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss and provide further data supporting a role for this gene in human neurodevelopment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.D. Khandelwal ◽  
N. Ishorst ◽  
H. Zhou ◽  
K.U. Ludwig ◽  
H. Venselaar ◽  
...  

Common variants in interferon regulatory factor 6 ( IRF6) have been associated with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) as well as with tooth agenesis (TA). These variants contribute a small risk towards the 2 congenital conditions and explain only a small percentage of heritability. On the other hand, many IRF6 mutations are known to be a monogenic cause of disease for syndromic orofacial clefting (OFC). We hypothesize that IRF6 mutations in some rare instances could also cause nonsyndromic OFC. To find novel rare variants in IRF6 responsible for nonsyndromic OFC and TA, we performed targeted multiplex sequencing using molecular inversion probes (MIPs) in 1,072 OFC patients, 67 TA patients, and 706 controls. We identified 3 potentially pathogenic de novo mutations in OFC patients. In addition, 3 rare missense variants were identified, for which pathogenicity could not unequivocally be shown, as all variants were either inherited from an unaffected parent or the parental DNA was not available. Retrospective investigation of the patients with these variants revealed the presence of lip pits in one of the patients with a de novo mutation suggesting a Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) phenotype, whereas, in other patients, no lip pits were identified.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob W Ness ◽  
Andrew D Morgan ◽  
Radhakrishnan B Vasanthakrishnan ◽  
Nick Colegrave ◽  
Peter D Keightley

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


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin M Brand ◽  
Frances J White ◽  
Nelson Ting ◽  
Timothy H Webster

Two modes of positive selection have been recognized: 1) hard sweeps that result in the rapid fixation of a beneficial allele typically from a de novo mutation and 2) soft sweeps that are characterized by intermediate frequencies of at least two haplotypes that stem from standing genetic variation or recurrent de novo mutations. While many populations exhibit both hard and soft sweeps throughout the genome, there is increasing evidence that soft sweeps, rather than hard sweeps, are the predominant mode of adaptation in many species, including humans. Here, we use a supervised machine learning approach to assess the extent of hard and soft sweeps in the closest living relatives of humans: bonobos and chimpanzees (genus Pan). We trained convolutional neural network classifiers using simulated data and applied these classifiers to population genomic data for 71 individuals representing all five extant Pan lineages, of which we successfully analyzed 60 individuals from four lineages. We found that recent adaptation in Pan is largely the result of soft sweeps, ranging from 73.1 to 97.7% of all identified sweeps. While few hard sweeps were shared among lineages, we found that between 19 and 267 soft sweep windows were shared by at least two lineages. We also identify novel candidate genes subject to recent positive selection. This study emphasizes the importance of shifts in the physical and social environment, rather than novel mutation, in shaping recent adaptations in bonobos and chimpanzees.


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