Examining the Effects of Hibernation on Germline Mutation Rates in Grizzly Bears.

ABSTRACT: A male mutation bias is observed across vertebrates, and, where data are available, this bias is accompanied by increased per-generation mutation rates with parental age. While continuing mitotic cell division in the male germline post puberty has been proposed as the major cellular mechanism underlying both patterns, little direct evidence for this role has been found. Understanding the evolution of the per-generation mutation rate among species requires that we identify the molecular mechanisms that change between species. Here, we study the per-generation mutation rate in an extended pedigree of the brown (grizzly) bear, Ursus arctos horribilis. Brown bears hibernate for one-third of the year, a period during which spermatogenesis slows or stops altogether. The reduction of spermatogene

SUBMITTER: Wang RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9596377 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature