Population size interacts with reproductive longevity to shape the germline mutation rate.

ABSTRACT: Mutation rates vary across the tree of life by many orders of magnitude, with lower mutation rates in species that reproduce quickly and maintain large effective population sizes. A compelling explanation for this trend is that large effective population sizes facilitate selection against weakly deleterious "mutator alleles" such as variants that interfere with the molecular efficacy of DNA repair. However, in multicellular organisms, the relationship of the mutation rate to DNA repair efficacy is complicated by variation in reproductive age. Long generation times leave more time for mutations to accrue each generation, and late reproduction likely amplifies the fitness consequences of any DNA repair defect that creates extra mutations in the sperm or eggs. Here, we present theoretical and

SUBMITTER: Zhu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11580940 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature