Recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of Escherichia coli.
Identification of the selective forces contributing to the origin and maintenance of sex is a fundamental problem in biology. The Fisher-Muller model proposes that sex is advantageous because it allows beneficial mutations that arise in different lineages to recombine, thereby reducing clonal interf...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2007-09-01
|
Series: | PLoS Biology |
Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1950772?pdf=render |
id |
doaj-de013b87e565477abf9d5165cf08ab2e |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-de013b87e565477abf9d5165cf08ab2e2021-07-02T07:41:30ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Biology1544-91731545-78852007-09-0159e22510.1371/journal.pbio.0050225Recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of Escherichia coli.Tim F CooperIdentification of the selective forces contributing to the origin and maintenance of sex is a fundamental problem in biology. The Fisher-Muller model proposes that sex is advantageous because it allows beneficial mutations that arise in different lineages to recombine, thereby reducing clonal interference and speeding adaptation. I used the F plasmid to mediate recombination in the bacterium Escherichia coli and measured its effect on adaptation at high and low mutation rates. Recombination increased the rate of adaptation approximately 3-fold more in the high mutation rate treatment, where beneficial mutations had to compete for fixation. Sequencing of candidate loci revealed the presence of a beneficial mutation in six high mutation rate lines. In the absence of recombination, this mutation took longer to fix and, over the course of its substitution, conferred a reduced competitive advantage, indicating interference between competing beneficial mutations. Together, these results provide experimental support for the Fisher-Muller model and demonstrate that plasmid-mediated gene transfer can accelerate bacterial adaptation.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1950772?pdf=render |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Tim F Cooper |
spellingShingle |
Tim F Cooper Recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of Escherichia coli. PLoS Biology |
author_facet |
Tim F Cooper |
author_sort |
Tim F Cooper |
title |
Recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of Escherichia coli. |
title_short |
Recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of Escherichia coli. |
title_full |
Recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of Escherichia coli. |
title_fullStr |
Recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of Escherichia coli. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of Escherichia coli. |
title_sort |
recombination speeds adaptation by reducing competition between beneficial mutations in populations of escherichia coli. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS Biology |
issn |
1544-9173 1545-7885 |
publishDate |
2007-09-01 |
description |
Identification of the selective forces contributing to the origin and maintenance of sex is a fundamental problem in biology. The Fisher-Muller model proposes that sex is advantageous because it allows beneficial mutations that arise in different lineages to recombine, thereby reducing clonal interference and speeding adaptation. I used the F plasmid to mediate recombination in the bacterium Escherichia coli and measured its effect on adaptation at high and low mutation rates. Recombination increased the rate of adaptation approximately 3-fold more in the high mutation rate treatment, where beneficial mutations had to compete for fixation. Sequencing of candidate loci revealed the presence of a beneficial mutation in six high mutation rate lines. In the absence of recombination, this mutation took longer to fix and, over the course of its substitution, conferred a reduced competitive advantage, indicating interference between competing beneficial mutations. Together, these results provide experimental support for the Fisher-Muller model and demonstrate that plasmid-mediated gene transfer can accelerate bacterial adaptation. |
url |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1950772?pdf=render |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT timfcooper recombinationspeedsadaptationbyreducingcompetitionbetweenbeneficialmutationsinpopulationsofescherichiacoli |
_version_ |
1721335748593975296 |