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Published on: September 22, 2023
Reversing mother's curse revisited
1School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. philip.hedrick@asu.edu
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|January 27, 2012
Summary
Mitochondrial DNA mutations harmful to males are usually not selected against due to maternal inheritance. However, mating patterns can influence the frequency of these detrimental mutations.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Mitochondrial DNA inheritance
Background:
- Maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) means mutations detrimental only in males are not selected against, a phenomenon known as the "mother's curse."
- Mating patterns can influence the evolutionary trajectory of genetic elements passed down through specific parental lineages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different mating systems affect the selection of male-specific detrimental mtDNA mutations.
- To explore the paradoxical effects of negative-assortative mating (outbreeding) on the frequency of these mutations.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of selection dynamics under different mating systems.
- Analysis of genetic drift and selection acting on mtDNA mutations.
Main Results:
- Positive-assortative mating (inbreeding) can facilitate the selection against male-specific detrimental mtDNA mutants.
- Negative-assortative mating (outbreeding) can paradoxically lead to an increase in the frequency of male-specific detrimental mtDNA mutants.
Conclusions:
- Mating systems play a crucial role in the evolutionary fate of mtDNA mutations with sex-specific fitness effects.
- The "mother's curse" may be mitigated by inbreeding but exacerbated by outbreeding.
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