Deleterious mutations destabilize ribosomal RNA in endosymbiotic bacteria.

ABSTRACT: In populations that are small and asexual, mutations with slight negative effects on fitness will drift to fixation more often than in large or sexual populations in which they will be eliminated by selection. If such mutations occur in substantial numbers, the combined effects of long-term asexuality and small population size may result in substantial accumulation of mildly deleterious substitutions. Prokaryotic endosymbionts of animals that are transmitted maternally for very long periods are effectively asexual and experience smaller effective population size than their free-living relatives. The contrast between such endosymbionts and related free-living bacteria allows us to test whether a population structure imposing frequent bottlenecks and asexuality does lead to an accumulation o

SUBMITTER: Lambert JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC22511 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature