High Frequency of Cryptic Deleterious Mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans

1999/09/10 by Esther K. Davies, A. D. Peters, Peter D. Keightley · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms #CRISPR and Genetic Engineering

paper · doi:10.1126/science.285.5434.1748

openalex publication_date 1999/09/10 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

Deleterious mutations with very small phenotypic effects could be important for several evolutionary phenomena, but the extent of their contribution has been unknown. Fitness effects of induced mutations in lines of Caenorhabditis elegans were measured using a system for which the number of deleterious point mutations in the DNA can be estimated. In fitness assays, only about 4 percent of the deleterious mutations fixed in each line were detectable. The remaining 96 percent, though cryptic, are significant for mutation load and, potentially, for the evolution of sex.

Citations

• Genomic mutation rates for lifetime reproductive output and lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans
• New estimates of the rates and effects of mildly deleterious mutation in Drosophila melanogaster

Cited by

• Mutation [wikipedia]