Mutator Genes and Selection for the Mutation Rate in Bacteria

AUTOR(ES)

Painter, P. R.

RESUMO

Gene frequencies in populations of haploid, asexual organisms are described by linear recurrence equations. Several models in which the mutation rate is controlled by one locus and the fitness is controlled at one or more other loci are developed. It is shown that good approximations can be introduced to give explicit solutions for the course of selection in these models. It is shown that a strong non-equilibrium selection for mutator genes is possible even when the presence of such a gene decreases the fitness of an individual. Experiments that corroborate these conclusions are discussed along with the effects of population size that determine the applicability of these results to natural populations.

Documentos Relacionados

• Sexual selection, germline mutation rate and sperm competition
• Increased rate of base substitution in a hamster mutator strain obtained during serial selection for gene amplification.
• Elevated mutation rate in mutT bacteria during starvation: evidence for DNA turnover?
• Mutation Rate and Dominance of Genes Affecting Viability in DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
• Intracellular Selection, Conversion Bias, and the Expected Substitution Rate of Organelle Genes