Outcrossing Complicates Mutation Purging by Trapping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Structural Variant Mutations.

ABSTRACT: Classical mutational theories centered on single nucleotide polymorphisms suggest that outcrossing enhances the purging of deleterious mutations by promoting recombination. However, larger structural variants, such as insertions, deletions, and inversions, can suppress recombination and create linkage blocks. In this study, using experimental evolution in C. elegans lines and whole-genome sequencing, we show that outcrossing populations struggle to purge structural mutations and instead retain mutations small and large as single nucleotide polymorphisms become trapped within larger structural variants. Supporting this, our population genetic simulations showed that structural variants accumulate more readily under higher outcrossing rates. These findings contradict classical populat

SUBMITTER: Kapila R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12363826 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature