Spontaneous mutations and the origin and maintenance of quantitative genetic variation

• Published in: eLife Vol. 5
• Main Authors: Huang, Wen, Lyman, Richard F, Lyman, Rachel A, Carbone, Mary Anna, Harbison, Susan T, Magwire, Michael M, Mackay, Trudy Fc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England eLife Science Publications, Ltd 23.05.2016; eLife Sciences Publications Ltd; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
• Subjects: Animals; DNA sequencing; Drosophila; Drosophila - genetics; Drosophila melanogaster; Gene expression; Gene mutations; Genetic aspects; Genetic diversity; Genetic Variation; genome sequencing; Genomes; Genomics and Evolutionary Biology; Inbreeding; Insects; Methods; Mutation; Mutation Accumulation; Mutation Rate; Natural selection; Nucleotide sequencing; Observations; Population; Population genetics; Quantitative genetics; Quantitative Trait Loci; Reproductive fitness; Sample variance; Selection, Genetic; stabilizing selection; evolutionary biology; mutation accumulation; genome sequencing; genomics; D. melanogaster; gene expression; stabilizing selection
• ISSN: 2050-084X; 2050-084X
• DOI: 10.7554/eLife.14625

Mutation and natural selection shape the genetic variation in natural populations. Here, we directly estimated the spontaneous mutation rate by sequencing new Drosophila mutation accumulation lines maintained with minimal natural selection. We inferred strong stabilizing natural selection on quantitative traits because genetic variation among wild-derived inbred lines was much lower than predicted from a neutral model and the mutational effects were much larger than allelic effects of standing polymorphisms. Stabilizing selection could act directly on the traits, or indirectly from pleiotropic effects on fitness. However, our data are not consistent with simple models of mutation-stabilizing selection balance; therefore, further empirical work is needed to assess the balance of evolutionary forces responsible for quantitative genetic variation.