Mutation bias and GC content shape antimutator invasions
Alejandro Couce1,2, Olivier Tenaillon3
1Unité Mixte de Recherche 1137 (IAME-INSERM), Université Paris Diderot, 75018, Paris, France. acouce@imperial.ac.uk.
Nature Communications
|July 17, 2019
Summary
Mutator bacteria can adapt quickly but often face extinction. This study reveals that the specific type of mutation a mutator causes, influenced by bacterial GC content, significantly impacts antimutator success, explaining previous experimental discrepancies.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Microbial genetics
- Population genetics
Background:
- Mutators accelerate adaptation in asexual populations but are predicted to decline due to accumulating harmful mutations.
- Experimental studies on antimutator invasions show unexplained variations, suggesting missing factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of mutational idiosyncrasy in explaining discrepancies in experimental antimutator invasion dynamics.
- To determine how bacterial GC composition influences the impact of different mutators.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of phylogenetically diverse bacterial species.
- Assessment of protein-disruptive mutation effects from various mutators.
- Computer simulations to model antimutator fitness under different parameters.
Main Results:
- Significant, systematic differences were observed in the protein-disruptive effects of mutations from different mutators, varying with bacterial GC composition.
- These idiosyncrasies can cause substantial changes in antimutator fitness.
- The findings explain previously unexplained experimental results.
Conclusions:
- Mutational idiosyncrasy is a critical, previously neglected factor in antimutator dynamics.
- Antimutator success is context-dependent, influenced by a population's genetic, ecological, and evolutionary history.
- This context-dependency has implications for understanding mutators in clinical settings and their role in bacterial genome evolution.
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