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Evolutionarily stable mutation rates

K J Dawson1

  • 1Laboratoire Génome et Populations CNRS UPR 9060, Université de Montpellier II, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|October 21, 1998
PubMed
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Mutation rates are stabilized by a balance between selection against harmful mutations and the cost of DNA repair. This research identifies a single, evolutionarily stable mutation rate for sexual and asexual populations.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Population Genetics
  • Molecular Evolution

Background:

  • Mutation rates in natural populations are shaped by opposing selective pressures.
  • Previous work analyzed mutation rate modifiers in large sexual populations with infinite loci.
  • Deleterious mutations favor lower mutation rates, while repair costs oppose further reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if a single, evolutionarily stable mutation rate exists.
  • To analyze the stability properties of mutation rates in sexual and asexual populations.
  • To explain the uniformity of mutation rates in DNA-based microbes.

Main Methods:

  • Mathematical modeling of mutation rate dynamics in sexual and asexual populations.
  • Analysis of selection acting on deleterious mutations and repair costs.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Derivation of conditions for modifier allele increase and evolutionary stability.

    • Main Results:

    • A single, globally stable mutation rate exists for sexual populations, independent of allele frequencies.
    • Asexual populations exhibit similar stability properties for their optimal mutation rate.
    • A power-law relationship between replication and mutation rates explains microbial mutation rate uniformity.

    Conclusions:

    • Mutation rates are under strong evolutionary constraint, leading to stable optima.
    • The identified evolutionary stability provides a robust framework for understanding mutation rate evolution.
    • The findings offer a mechanistic explanation for conserved mutation rates across microbial species.