Authors: Didion, John P.; Morgan, Andrew P.; Yadgary, Liran; Bell, Timothy A.; McMullan, Rachel C.; Ortiz de Solorzano, Lydia; Britton-Davidian, Janice; Bult, Carol J.; Campbell, Karl J.; Castiglia, Riccardo; Ching, Yung-Hao; Chunco, Amanda J.; Crowley, James J.; Chesler, Elissa J.; Förster, Daniel W.; French, John E.; Gabriel, Sofia I.; Gatti, Daniel M.; Garland, Theodore Jr; Giagia Athanasopoulou, Eva B.; Giménez, Mabel Dionisia; Grize, Sofia A.; Gündüz, Islam; Holmes, Andrew; Hauffe, Heidi C.; Herman, Jeremy S.; Holt, James M.; Kunjie, Hua; Jolley, Wesley J.; Pardo Manuel de Villena, Fernando
Publication Date: 2016.
Language: English.
Abstract:
A selective sweep is the result of strong positive selection driving newly occurring or standing genetic variants to fixation, and can dramatically alter the pattern and distribution of allelic diversity in a population. Population-level sequencing data have enabled discoveries of selective sweeps associated with genes involved in recent adaptations in many species. In contrast, much debate but little evidence addresses whether “selfish” genes are capable of fixation—thereby leaving signatures identical to classical selective sweeps—despite being neutral or deleterious to organismal fitness. We previously described R2d2, a large copy-number variant that causes nonrandom segregation of mouse Chromosome 2 in females due to meiotic drive. Here we show population-genetic data consistent with a selfish sweep driven by alleles of R2d2 with high copy number (R2d2HC) in natural populations. We replicate this finding in multiple closed breeding populations from six outbred backgrounds segregating for R2d2 alleles. We find that R2d2HC rapidly increases in frequency, and in most cases becomes fixed in significantly fewer generations than can be explained by genetic drift. R2d2HC is also associated with significantly reduced litter sizes in heterozygous mothers, making it a true selfish allele. Our data provide direct evidence of populations actively undergoing selfish sweeps, and demonstrate that meiotic drive can rapidly alter the genomic landscape in favor of mutations with neutral or even negative effects on overall Darwinian fitness. Further study will reveal the incidence of selfish sweeps, and will elucidate the relative contributions of selfish genes, adaptation and genetic drift to evolution.
Author affiliation: Didion, John P.. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Morgan, Andrew P.. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Yadgary, Liran. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Bell, Timothy A.. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: McMullan, Rachel C.. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Ortiz de Solorzano, Lydia. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Britton-Davidian, Janice. Université de Montpellier. Instituto Des Sciences de L'evolution; Francia
Author affiliation: Bult, Carol J.. The Jackson Laboratory; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Campbell, Karl J.. The University Of Queensland; Australia
Author affiliation: Castiglia, Riccardo. Universita Di Roma; Italia
Author affiliation: Ching, Yung-Hao. University Tzu Chi. Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics; China
Author affiliation: Chunco, Amanda J.. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Crowley, James J.. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Chesler, Elissa J.. The Jackson Laboratory; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Förster, Daniel W.. Leibniz - Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alemania
Author affiliation: French, John E.. National Institute of Environmental Sciences; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Gabriel, Sofia I.. Universidade de Lisboa; Portugal
Author affiliation: Gatti, Daniel M.. The Jackson Laboratory; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Garland, Theodore Jr. University of California; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Giagia Athanasopoulou, Eva B.. Univerity of Patras; Grecia
Author affiliation: Giménez, Mabel Dionisia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; Argentina
Author affiliation: Grize, Sofia A.. Universitat Zurich; Suiza
Author affiliation: Gündüz, Islam. University of Ondokuz Mayis; Turquía
Author affiliation: Holmes, Andrew. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Hauffe, Heidi C.. Fondazione Edmund Mach; Italia
Author affiliation: Herman, Jeremy S.. National Museums Scotland; Reino Unido
Author affiliation: Holt, James M.. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Kunjie, Hua. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Jolley, Wesley J.. Island Conservation; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Pardo Manuel de Villena, Fernando. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos
Repository: CONICET Digital (CONICET). Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas