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Interference among deleterious mutations favours sex and recombination in finite populations

Author

Listed:
  • Peter D. Keightley

    (University of Edinburgh)

  • Sarah P. Otto

    (University of British Columbia)

Abstract

The question of sex For decades scientists have been seeking to understand the evolutionary forces behind the emergence of sex and recombination. The need to purge deleterious mutations from the genome is one possible driving force. For this idea to be valid, deleterious mutations would probably need to exhibit negative epistasis — that is, they would act synergistically to produce a large cumulative effect. However, experimental evidence suggests that such negative epistasis is uncommon. Now, by invoking a concept called Hill–Robertson interference, Peter Keightley and Sarah Otto have developed a computer simulation that selects for recombination regardless of whether deleterious mutations exhibit epistasis. This provides a robust explanation for the evolution of recombination, and perhaps of sex.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter D. Keightley & Sarah P. Otto, 2006. "Interference among deleterious mutations favours sex and recombination in finite populations," Nature, Nature, vol. 443(7107), pages 89-92, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:443:y:2006:i:7107:d:10.1038_nature05049
    DOI: 10.1038/nature05049
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    Cited by:

    1. David B. Stern & Nathan W. Anderson & Juanita A. Diaz & Carol Eunmi Lee, 2022. "Genome-wide signatures of synergistic epistasis during parallel adaptation in a Baltic Sea copepod," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Rouzine, Igor M. & Coffin, John M., 2010. "Multi-site adaptation in the presence of infrequent recombination," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 189-204.
    3. Gustavo V. Barroso & Nataša Puzović & Julien Y Dutheil, 2019. "Inference of recombination maps from a single pair of genomes and its application to ancient samples," PLOS Genetics, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-21, November.
    4. Masel, Joanna & Lyttle, David N., 2011. "The consequences of rare sexual reproduction by means of selfing in an otherwise clonally reproducing species," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 80(4), pages 317-322.
    5. MacPherson, Brian & Scott, Ryan & Gras, Robin, 2023. "Using individual-based modelling to investigate a pluralistic explanation for the prevalence of sexual reproduction in animal species," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 475(C).
    6. Kermany, Amir R. & Lessard, Sabin, 2012. "Effect of epistasis and linkage on fixation probability in three-locus models: An ancestral recombination–selection graph approach," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 131-145.
    7. Manuel Beltrán Del Río & Christopher R. Stephens & David A. Rosenblueth, 2015. "Fitness Landscape Epistasis And Recombination," Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 18(07n08), pages 1-38, November.
    8. Roger D Kouyos & Gabriel E Leventhal & Trevor Hinkley & Mojgan Haddad & Jeannette M Whitcomb & Christos J Petropoulos & Sebastian Bonhoeffer, 2012. "Exploring the Complexity of the HIV-1 Fitness Landscape," PLOS Genetics, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(3), pages 1-9, March.

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