Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Mutations in Microorganisms01:18

Mutations in Microorganisms

Mutations are heritable changes in an organism’s genome involving alterations in the base sequence of DNA or RNA. These changes can influence cellular processes and phenotypic traits, potentially transforming the unaltered wild type into a mutant form. Such changes, termed forward mutations, are pivotal in shaping the genetic diversity of organisms.RNA viruses exhibit the highest mutation rates due to the absence of robust proofreading mechanisms during genome replication. In contrast,...
Genome Copying Errors02:46

Genome Copying Errors

DNA replication is a well-evolved process that copies millions of base pairs with high fidelity during each cell division. Occasionally a wrong base or a long stretch of wrong bases may get added to the daughter strands. If the errors are left unchecked, cells might accumulate several mutations that might endanger their  survival. Therefore, the copying errors are checked and repaired at three levels.
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
Mismatch Repair01:20

Mismatch Repair

Organisms are capable of detecting and fixing nucleotide mismatches that occur during DNA replication. This sophisticated process requires identifying the new strand and replacing the erroneous bases with correct nucleotides. Mismatch repair is coordinated by many proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Regions of low gene expression promote maintenance and adaptation of horizontally acquired genes in yeasts.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

Long-term sex differences in symptoms and immune profile in long COVID.

Biology of sex differences·2026
Same author

<i>Zygosaccharomyces progenitor</i> sp. nov., a new yeast species associated with bees of the genera <i>Apis</i> and <i>Bombus</i>.

International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology·2025
Same author

The essential integration of sex and gender in immunological research.

Immunology letters·2025
Same author

Aging: a possible road toward gut microbiota pathoadaptation.

Gut microbes·2025
Same author

Clonal interference and genomic repair during strain coexistence in the gut.

PLoS genetics·2025
Same journal

Globins in the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii shed new light on hemoglobin evolution in bilaterians.

BMC evolutionary biology·2020
Same journal

Is there any intron sliding in mammals?

BMC evolutionary biology·2020
Same journal

The evolution of the huntingtin-associated protein 40 (HAP40) in conjunction with huntingtin.

BMC evolutionary biology·2020
Same journal

You don't have the guts: a diverse set of fungi survive passage through Macrotermes bellicosus termite guts.

BMC evolutionary biology·2020
Same journal

Mitochondrial DNAs provide insight into trypanosome phylogeny and molecular evolution.

BMC evolutionary biology·2020
Same journal

Stress-related changes in leukocyte profiles and telomere shortening in the shortest-lived tetrapod, Furcifer labordi.

BMC evolutionary biology·2020
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Gene-targeted Random Mutagenesis to Select Heterochromatin-destabilizing Proteasome Mutants in Fission Yeast
07:18

Gene-targeted Random Mutagenesis to Select Heterochromatin-destabilizing Proteasome Mutants in Fission Yeast

Published on: May 15, 2018

Mutation accumulation in Tetrahymena.

Patrícia H Brito1, Elsa Guilherme, Helena Soares

  • 1Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2781-901, Portugal. pbrito@igc.gulbenkian.pt

BMC Evolutionary Biology
|November 17, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mutation accumulation experiments reveal Tetrahymena thermophila

More Related Videos

High-Throughput Robotically Assisted Isolation of Temperature-sensitive Lethal Mutants in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
10:51

High-Throughput Robotically Assisted Isolation of Temperature-sensitive Lethal Mutants in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Published on: December 5, 2016

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Gene-targeted Random Mutagenesis to Select Heterochromatin-destabilizing Proteasome Mutants in Fission Yeast
07:18

Gene-targeted Random Mutagenesis to Select Heterochromatin-destabilizing Proteasome Mutants in Fission Yeast

Published on: May 15, 2018

High-Throughput Robotically Assisted Isolation of Temperature-sensitive Lethal Mutants in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
10:51

High-Throughput Robotically Assisted Isolation of Temperature-sensitive Lethal Mutants in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Published on: December 5, 2016

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Mutation accumulation experiments are crucial for understanding evolution.
  • Empirical estimates of mutation rates and effects are lacking in protists.
  • Tetrahymena thermophila and Tetrahymena pyriformis are key model organisms for this study.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To empirically estimate mutation rate and fitness effects in Tetrahymena thermophila.
  • To compare mutation accumulation dynamics between a facultatively sexual species (T. thermophila) and an obligately asexual species (T. pyriformis).
  • To investigate the role of copy number variation in fitness decline.

Main Methods:

  • Mutation accumulation experiment with 20 replicate lines of T. thermophila.
  • Measurement of fitness decline and variance increase in MA lines.
  • Comparison of extinction rates and copy number variation between T. thermophila and T. pyriformis.

Main Results:

  • T. thermophila MA lines exhibited a high rate of clonal extinction (1.25 per bottleneck).
  • T. pyriformis showed greater resistance to extinction, linked to higher mean copy number per cell.
  • Inferred mutation rate to copy number variation in T. thermophila: 0.0333 per haploid MAC genome; mean effect: 0.16.
  • Population size significantly impacted the rate of fitness decline, supporting natural selection's role.

Conclusions:

  • High extinction rate in T. thermophila suggests mutational degradation, necessitating sexual reproduction.
  • Increased chromosomal copy number in T. pyriformis may offer an alternative to sexual reproduction for managing deleterious mutations.
  • Findings contribute to understanding cell line longevity and senescence in ciliates.