Publications by authors named "Anika Jonas"
All forms of genetic variation originate from new mutations, making it crucial to understand their rates and mechanisms. Here, we use long-read PacBio sequencing to investigate de novo mutations that accumulated in 12 inbred mouse lines derived from three commonly used inbred strains (C3H, C57BL/6, and FVB) maintained for 8-15 generations in a mutation accumulation (MA) experiment. We built chromosome-level genome assemblies based on the MA line founders' genomes, and then employed a combination of read and assembly-based methods to call the complete spectrum of new mutations.
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- Spontaneous mutations can negatively affect the fitness of populations, but natural selection helps keep these harmful mutations at low levels.
- Mutation accumulation (MA) experiments have shown that fitness declines in certain organisms, but similar studies in vertebrates like house mice have been minimal.
- This study found that while certain traits in house mice do show a decrease in fitness over generations, the rate is low enough that it is not expected to be significant for humans in the near future.
The mouse serves as a mammalian model for understanding the nature of variation from new mutations, a question that has both evolutionary and medical significance. Previous studies suggest that the rate of single-nucleotide mutations (SNMs) in mice is ∼50% of that in humans. However, information largely comes from studies involving the C57BL/6 strain, and there is little information from other mouse strains.
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