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The interaction between mobile DNAs and their hosts in a fluctuating environment
James E McGraw1, John F Y Brookfield
1Institute of Genetics, School of Biology, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. plxjm@nottingham.ac.uk
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|July 25, 2006
Summary
Mobile DNA elements can act as mutators, offering cells an adaptive advantage in changing environments. Evolution favors rapid transposition rates, but high horizontal transfer can lead to stable cell type diversity.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Mobile DNA sequences, such as transposons, interact dynamically with host genomes.
- Clonal reproduction with rare horizontal gene transfer presents unique evolutionary pressures.
- Mobile DNA can function as reversible mutators, influencing host gene function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze a model investigating the optimal transposition rate for mobile DNA in fluctuating environments.
- To examine the impact of horizontal transfer on mobile DNA dynamics within host populations.
- To understand the evolutionary pressures on both mobile elements and host cells regarding transposition rates.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical modeling of mobile DNA transposition and host cell evolution.
- Analysis of population dynamics under varying horizontal transfer rates.
- Simulation of scenarios with differing transposition rates between elements and hosts.
Main Results:
- Evolution favors mobile elements with rapid transposition rates.
- Host cell evolution selects for optimal overall transposition rates per cell.
- High horizontal transfer rates can lead to stable coexistence of cell types with differing transposition activities.
Conclusions:
- Mobile DNA's role as mutators can drive adaptation in fluctuating environments.
- Horizontal transfer introduces complexity, potentially maintaining cell polymorphisms.
- The study provides insights into the co-evolution of mobile elements and their hosts.