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Role of mutator alleles in adaptive evolution
F Taddei1, M Radman, J Maynard-Smith
1Laboratoire de Mutagenèse, Institut J. Monod, CNRS Université Paris, France. taddei@ijm.jussieu.fr
Nature
|June 12, 1997
Summary
High mutation rates in bacteria can accelerate adaptation, even if mutator genes are rare. These
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Microbial genetics
Background:
- Most new mutations are neutral or harmful, suggesting mutation rates evolve to be minimal.
- However, some bacterial clones exhibit significantly higher mutation rates ('mutators').
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential role of high mutation rates in adaptive evolution.
- To model the impact of mutator genes on population adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Computer simulations of large, asexual, clonal populations adapting to new environments.
- Modeling parameters were based on typical Escherichia coli cultures.
Main Results:
- Strong mutator genes (1,000-fold increase) accelerate adaptation, even at very low frequencies (10^-5).
- Moderate mutators (10-100 fold increase) can become fixed in some finite populations.
- Model behavior aligns with long-term adaptation experiments in E. coli.
Conclusions:
- High mutation rates can be advantageous for rapid adaptation in certain conditions.
- Mutator genes may play a significant role in bacterial evolution and adaptation strategies.