The repeatability of genome-wide mutation rate and spectrum estimates

Intrinsic base substitution patterns in diverse species reveal links to cancer and metabolism

Analyses of large-scale cancer sequencing data have revealed that mutagenic processes can create distinctive patterns of base substitutions, called mutational signatures. Interestingly, mutational patterns resembling some of these signatures can also be observed in normal cells. To determine whether similar patterns exist more generally, we analyzed large data sets of genetic variation, including mutations from 7 model species and single nucleotide polymorphisms in 42 species, totaling >1.9 billion variants. We found that base substitution patterns for most species closely match single base substitution (SBS) mutational signature 5 in the Catalog of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) database. SBS5 is ubiquitous in cancers and also present in normal human cells, suggesting that similar patterns of genetic variation across so many species are likely due to conserved biochemistry. We investigated the mechanistic origins of the SBS5-like mutational pattern in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and show that translesion DNA synthesis and sugar metabolism are directly linked to this form of mutagenesis. We propose that conserved metabolic processes in cells are coupled to continuous generation of genetic variants, which can be acted upon by selection to drive the evolution of biological entities.

Recent insights into the evolution of mutation rates in yeast

Mutation is the origin of all genetic variation, good and bad. The mutation process can evolve in response to mutations, positive or negative selection, and genetic drift, but how these forces contribute to mutation-rate variation is an unsolved problem at the heart of genetics research. Mutations can be challenging to measure, but genome sequencing and other tools have allowed for the collection of larger and more detailed datasets, particularly in the yeast-model system. We review key hypotheses for the evolution of mutation rates and describe recent advances in understanding variation in mutational properties within and among yeast species. The multidimensional spectrum of mutations is increasingly recognized as holding valuable clues about how this important process evolves.

The spontaneous mutation rate of Drosophila pseudoobscura

The spontaneous mutation rate is a very variable trait that is subject to drift, selection and is sometimes highly plastic. Consequently, its variation between close species, or even between populations from the same species, can be very large. Here, I estimated the spontaneous mutation rate of Drosophila pseudoobscura and Drosophila persimilis crosses to explore the mutation rate variation within the Drosophila genus. All mutation rate estimations in Drosophila varied fourfold, probably explained by the sensitivity of the mutation rate to environmental and experimental conditions. Moreover, I found a very high mutation rate in the hybrid cross between D. pseudoobscura and D. persimilis, in agreement with known elevated mutation rate in hybrids. This mutation rate increase can be explained by heterozygosity and fitness decrease effects in hybrids.

Stability across the Whole Nuclear Genome in the Presence and Absence of DNA Mismatch Repair

We describe the contribution of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) to the stability of the eukaryotic nuclear genome as determined by whole-genome sequencing. To date, wild-type nuclear genome mutation rates are known for over 40 eukaryotic species, while measurements in mismatch repair-defective organisms are fewer in number and are concentrated on Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human tumors. Well-studied organisms include Drosophila melanogaster and Mus musculus, while less genetically tractable species include great apes and long-lived trees. A variety of techniques have been developed to gather mutation rates, either per generation or per cell division. Generational rates are described through whole-organism mutation accumulation experiments and through offspring–parent sequencing, or they have been identified by descent. Rates per somatic cell division have been estimated from cell line mutation accumulation experiments, from systemic variant allele frequencies, and from widely spaced samples with known cell divisions per unit of tissue growth. The latter methods are also used to estimate generational mutation rates for large organisms that lack dedicated germlines, such as trees and hyphal fungi. Mechanistic studies involving genetic manipulation of MMR genes prior to mutation rate determination are thus far confined to yeast, Arabidopsis thaliana, Caenorhabditis elegans, and one chicken cell line. A great deal of work in wild-type organisms has begun to establish a sound baseline, but far more work is needed to uncover the variety of MMR across eukaryotes. Nonetheless, the few MMR studies reported to date indicate that MMR contributes 100-fold or more to genome stability, and they have uncovered insights that would have been impossible to obtain using reporter gene assays.

Variable Spontaneous Mutation and Loss of Heterozygosity among Heterozygous Genomes in Yeast

Mutation and recombination are the primary sources of genetic variation. To better understand the evolution of genetic variation, it is crucial to comprehensively investigate the processes involving mutation accumulation and recombination. In this study, we performed mutation accumulation experiments on four heterozygous diploid yeast species in the Saccharomycodaceae family to determine spontaneous mutation rates, mutation spectra, and losses of heterozygosity (LOH). We observed substantial variation in mutation rates and mutation spectra. We also observed high LOH rates (1.65-11.07×10-6 events per heterozygous site per cell division). Biases in spontaneous mutation and LOH together with selection ultimately shape the variable genome-wide nucleotide landscape in yeast species.

Low Base-Substitution Mutation Rate but High Rate of Slippage Mutations in the Sequence Repeat-Rich Genome of Dictyostelium discoideum

We describe the rate and spectrum of spontaneous mutations for the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, a key model organism in molecular, cellular, evolutionary and developmental biology. Whole-genome sequencing of 37 mutation accumulation lines of D. discoideum after an average of 1,500 cell divisions yields a base-substitution mutation rate of 2.47 × 10⁻¹¹ per site per generation, substantially lower than that of most eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms, and of the same order of magnitude as in the ciliates Paramecium tetraurelia and Tetrahymena thermophila. Known for its high genomic AT content and abundance of simple sequence repeats, we observe that base-substitution mutations in D. discoideum are highly A/T biased. This bias likely contributes both to the high genomic AT content and to the formation of simple sequence repeats in the AT-rich genome of Dictyostelium discoideum. In contrast to the situation in other surveyed unicellular eukaryotes, indel rates far exceed the base-substitution mutation rate in this organism with a high proportion of 3n indels, particularly in regions without simple sequence repeats. Like ciliates, D. discoideum has a large effective population size, reducing the power of random genetic drift, magnifying the effect of selection on replication fidelity, in principle allowing D. discoideum to evolve an extremely low base-substitution mutation rate.

The importance of an interaction network for proper DNA polymerase ζ heterotetramer activity

Precisely controlled mechanisms have been evolved to rescue impeded DNA replication resulting from encountered obstacles and involve a set of low-fidelity translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases. Studies in recent years have brought new insights into those TLS polymerases, especially concerning the structure and subunit composition of DNA polymerase zeta (Pol ζ). Pol ζ is predominantly involved in induced mutagenesis as well as the bypass of noncanonical DNA structures, and it is proficient in extending from terminal mismatched nucleotides incorporated by major replicative DNA polymerases. Two active forms of Pol ζ, heterodimeric (Pol ζ2) and heterotetrameric (Pol ζ4) ones, have been identified and studied. Here, in the light of recent publications regarding induced and spontaneous mutagenesis and diverse interactions within Pol ζ holoenzyme, combined with Pol ζ binding to the TLS polymerase Rev1p, we discuss the subunit composition of Pol ζ in various cellular physiological conditions. Available data show that it is the heterotetrameric form of Pol ζ that is involved both during spontaneous and induced mutagenesis, and underline the importance of interactions within Pol ζ when an increased Pol ζ recruitment occurs. Understanding Pol ζ function in the bypass of DNA obstacles would give a significant insight into cellular tolerance of DNA damage, genetic instability and the onset of cancer progression.

Discovery of Lineage-Specific Genome Change in Rice Through Analysis of Resequencing Data

New mutations are rare, which makes their discovery laborious and time-consuming. Arthur and Bennetzen describe an approach for enriching recent mutations that relies only on a reference genome sequence and resequencing data for other...

Genome comparisons provide information on the nature of genetic change, but such comparisons are challenged to differentiate the importance of the actual sequence change processes relative to the role of selection. This problem can be overcome by identifying changes that have not yet had the time to undergo millions of years of natural selection. We describe a strategy to discover accession-specific changes in the rice genome using an abundant resource routinely provided for many genome analyses, resequencing data. The sequence of the fully sequenced rice genome from variety Nipponbare was compared to the pooled (∼114×) resequencing data from 126 japonica rice accessions to discover “Nipponbare-specific” sequences. Analyzing nonrepetitive sequences, 8504 “candidate” Nipponbare-specific changes were detected, of which around two-thirds are true novel sequence changes and the rest are predicted genome sequencing errors. Base substitutions outnumbered indels in this data set by > 28:1, with ∼8:5 bias toward transversions over transitions, and no transposable element insertions or excisions were observed. These results indicate that the strategy employed is effective for finding recent sequence changes, sequencing errors, and rare alleles in any organism that has both a reference genome sequence and a wealth of resequencing data.

Construction and forensic genetic characterization of 11 autosomal haplotypes consisting of 22 tri-allelic indels

Insertion/deletion polymorphisms (indels), which combine the advantages of both short tandem repeats and single-nucleotide polymorphisms, are suitable for parentage testing. To overcome the limitations of the low polymorphism of di-allelic indels, we constructed a set of haplotypes with physically linked, multi-allelic indels. Candidate haplotypes were selected from the 1000 Genomes Project database, and were subject to the following criteria for inclusion: (i) each marker must have a minimum allele frequency (MAF) of ≥0.1 in the Han population of China; (ii) markers must exist in a non-coding region; (iii) the physical distance between a pair of candidate indels must be <500 bp; (iv) the allele length variation of each indel from 1 to 20 bp; (v) different haplotypes must be located on different chromosomes or chromosomal arms, or be more than 10 Mb apart if on the same chromosomal arm; and (vi) they must not be located across a recombination hotspot. A multiplex system with 11 haplotype markers, comprising 22 tri-allelic indel loci distributed over 10 chromosomes was developed. To validate the multiplex panel, we investigated the haplotype distribution in sets of two and three-generation pedigrees. The results demonstrated that the haplotypes consisting of multi-allelic indel markers exhibited higher polymorphism than a single indel locus, and thus provide Supplementary information for forensic kinship identification.

Deep sequencing of natural and experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster reveals biases in the spectrum of new mutations

Mutations provide the raw material of evolution, and thus our ability to study evolution depends fundamentally on having precise measurements of mutational rates and patterns. We generate a data set for this purpose using (1) de novo mutations from mutation accumulation experiments and (2) extremely rare polymorphisms from natural populations. The first, mutation accumulation (MA) lines are the product of maintaining flies in tiny populations for many generations, therefore rendering natural selection ineffective and allowing new mutations to accrue in the genome. The second, rare genetic variation from natural populations allows the study of mutation because extremely rare polymorphisms are relatively unaffected by the filter of natural selection. We use both methods in Drosophila melanogaster, first generating our own novel data set of sequenced MA lines and performing a meta-analysis of all published MA mutations (∼2000 events) and then identifying a high quality set of ∼70,000 extremely rare (≤0.1%) polymorphisms that are fully validated with resequencing. We use these data sets to precisely measure mutational rates and patterns. Highlights of our results include: a high rate of multinucleotide mutation events at both short (∼5 bp) and long (∼1 kb) genomic distances, showing that mutation drives GC content lower in already GC-poor regions, and using our precise context-dependent mutation rates to predict long-term evolutionary patterns at synonymous sites. We also show that de novo mutations from independent MA experiments display similar patterns of single nucleotide mutation and well match the patterns of mutation found in natural populations.

Extreme mutation bias and high AT content in Plasmodium falciparum

For reasons that remain unknown, the Plasmodium falciparum genome has an exceptionally high AT content compared to other Plasmodium species and eukaryotes in general - nearly 80% in coding regions and approaching 90% in non-coding regions. Here, we examine how this phenomenon relates to genome-wide patterns of de novo mutation. Mutation accumulation experiments were performed by sequential cloning of six P. falciparum isolates growing in human erythrocytes in vitro for 4 years, with 279 clones sampled for whole genome sequencing at different time points. Genome sequence analysis of these samples revealed a significant excess of G:C to A:T transitions compared to other types of nucleotide substitution, which would naturally cause AT content to equilibrate close to the level seen across the P. falciparum reference genome (80.6% AT). These data also uncover an extremely high rate of small indel mutation relative to other species, primarily associated with repetitive AT-rich sequences, in addition to larger-scale structural rearrangements focused in antigen-coding var genes. In conclusion, high AT content in P. falciparum is driven by a systematic mutational bias and ultimately leads to an unusual level of microstructural plasticity, raising the question of whether this contributes to adaptive evolution.

How a Genetically Stable Extremophile Evolves: Modes of Genome Diversification in the Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

In order to analyze in molecular terms how Sulfolobus genomes diverge, damage-induced mutations and natural polymorphisms (PMs) were identified in laboratory constructs and wild-type isolates, respectively, of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius Among wild-type isolates drawn from one local population, pairwise nucleotide divergence averaged 4 × 10^-6, which is about 0.15% of the corresponding divergence reported for Sulfolobus islandicus The most variable features of wild-type S. acidocaldarius genomes were homopolymer (mononucleotide) tracts and longer tandem repeats, consistent with the spontaneous mutations that occur under laboratory conditions. Natural isolates, however, also revealed large insertions/deletions and inversions, which did not occur in any of the laboratory-manipulated strains. Several of the large insertions/deletions could be attributed to the integration or excision of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and each MGE represented a distinct system of site-specific recombination. The mode of recombination associated with one MGE, a provirus related to Sulfolobus turreted icosahedral virus, was also seen in certain chromosomal inversions. Artificially induced mutations, non-MGE insertions/deletions, and small PMs exhibited different distributions over the genome, suggesting that large-scale patterning of Sulfolobus genomes begins early in the divergence process. Unlike induced mutations, natural base pair substitutions occurred in clusters, and one cluster exhibited properties expected of nonreciprocal recombination (gene conversion) between dispersed imperfect repeats. Taken together, the results identify simple replication errors, slipped-strand events promoted by tandem repeats, homologous recombination, and rearrangements promoted by MGEs as the primary sources of genetic variation for this extremely acidophilic archaeon in its geothermal environment.IMPORTANCE The optimal growth temperatures of hyperthermophilic archaea accelerate DNA decomposition, which is expected to make DNA repair especially important for their genetic stability, yet these archaea lack certain broadly conserved types of DNA repair proteins. In this study, the genome of the extreme thermoacidophile Sulfolobus acidocaldarius was found to be remarkably stable, accumulating few mutations in many (though not all) laboratory manipulations and in natural populations. Furthermore, all the genetic processes that were inferred to diversify these genomes also operate in mesophilic bacteria and eukaryotes. This suggests that a common set of mechanisms produces most of the genetic variation in all microorganisms, despite the fundamental differences in physiology, DNA repair systems, and genome structure represented in the three domains of life.

Distributions of Mutational Effects and the Estimation of Directional Selection in Divergent Lineages of Arabidopsis thaliana

Mutations are crucial to evolution, providing the ultimate source of variation on which natural selection acts. Due to their key role, the distribution of mutational effects on quantitative traits is a key component to any inference regarding historical selection on phenotypic traits. In this paper, we expand on a previously developed test for selection that could be conducted assuming a Gaussian mutation effect distribution by developing approaches to also incorporate any of a family of heavy-tailed Laplace distributions of mutational effects. We apply the test to detect directional natural selection on five traits along the divergence of Columbia and Landsberg lineages of Arabidopsis thaliana, constituting the first test for natural selection in any organism using quantitative trait locus and mutation accumulation data to quantify the intensity of directional selection on a phenotypic trait. We demonstrate that the results of the test for selection can depend on the mutation effect distribution specified. Using the distributions exhibiting the best fit to mutation accumulation data, we infer that natural directional selection caused divergence in the rosette diameter and trichome density traits of the Columbia and Landsberg lineages.

Genome-Wide Biases in the Rate and Molecular Spectrum of Spontaneous Mutations in Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio fischeri

The vast diversity in nucleotide composition and architecture among bacterial genomes may be partly explained by inherent biases in the rates and spectra of spontaneous mutations. Bacterial genomes with multiple chromosomes are relatively unusual but some are relevant to human health, none more so than the causative agent of cholera, Vibrio cholerae Here, we present the genome-wide mutation spectra in wild-type and mismatch repair (MMR) defective backgrounds of two Vibrio species, the low-%GC squid symbiont V. fischeri and the pathogen V. cholerae, collected under conditions that greatly minimize the efficiency of natural selection. In apparent contrast to their high diversity in nature, both wild-type V. fischeri and V. cholerae have among the lowest rates for base-substitution mutations (bpsms) and insertion-deletion mutations (indels) that have been measured, below 10^-3/genome/generation. Vibrio fischeri and V. cholerae have distinct mutation spectra, but both are AT-biased and produce a surprising number of multi-nucleotide indels. Furthermore, the loss of a functional MMR system caused the mutation spectra of these species to converge, implying that the MMR system itself contributes to species-specific mutation patterns. Bpsm and indel rates varied among genome regions, but do not explain the more rapid evolutionary rates of genes on chromosome 2, which likely result from weaker purifying selection. More generally, the very low mutation rates of Vibrio species correlate inversely with their immense population sizes and suggest that selection may not only have maximized replication fidelity but also optimized other polygenic traits relative to the constraints of genetic drift.

The Fitness Effects of Spontaneous Mutations Nearly Unseen by Selection in a Bacterium with Multiple Chromosomes

Mutation accumulation (MA) experiments employ the strategy of minimizing the population size of evolving lineages to greatly reduce effects of selection on newly arising mutations. Thus, most mutations fix within MA lines independently of their fitness effects. This approach, more recently combined with genome sequencing, has detailed the rates, spectra, and biases of different mutational processes. However, a quantitative understanding of the fitness effects of mutations virtually unseen by selection has remained an untapped opportunity. Here, we analyzed the fitness of 43 sequenced MA lines of the multi-chromosome bacterium Burkholderia cenocepacia that had each undergone 5554 generations of MA and accumulated an average of 6.73 spontaneous mutations. Most lineages exhibited either neutral or deleterious fitness in three different environments in comparison with their common ancestor. The only mutational class that was significantly overrepresented in lineages with reduced fitness was the loss of the plasmid, though nonsense mutations, missense mutations, and coding insertion-deletions were also overrepresented in MA lineages whose fitness had significantly declined. Although the overall distribution of fitness effects was similar between the three environments, the magnitude and even the sign of the fitness of a number of lineages changed with the environment, demonstrating that the fitness of some genotypes was environmentally dependent. These results present an unprecedented picture of the fitness effects of spontaneous mutations in a bacterium with multiple chromosomes and provide greater quantitative support for the theory that the vast majority of spontaneous mutations are neutral or deleterious.

Phenotypic heterogeneity in a bacteriophage population only appears as stress-induced mutagenesis

Stress-induced mutagenesis has been studied in cancer cells, yeast, bacteria, and archaea, but not in viruses. In a recent publication, we present a bacteriophage model showing an apparent stress-induced mutagenesis. We show that the stress does not drive the mutagenesis, but only selects the fittest mutants. The mechanism underlying the observed phenomenon is a phenotypic heterogeneity that resembles persistence of the viral population. The new findings, the background for the ongoing debate on stress-induced mutagenesis, and the phenotypic heterogeneity underlying a novel phage infection strategy are discussed in this short manuscript.