Dataset Information

Rapid Increase in frequency of gene copy-number variants during experimental evolution in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Gene copy-number variation (CNVs), which provides the raw material for the evolution of novel genes, is widespread in natural populations. We investigated whether CNVs constitute a common mechanism of genetic change during adaptation in experimental Caenorhabditis elegans populations. Outcrossing C. elegans populations with low fitness were evolved for >200 generations. The frequencies of CNVs in these populations were analyzed by oligonucleotide array comparative genome hybridization, quantitative PCR, PCR, DNA sequencing across breakpoints, and single-worm PCR.

Results

Multiple duplications and deletions rose to intermediate or high frequencies in independent populations. Several lines of evidence suggest that these changes were adaptive: (i) copy-number changes reached high frequency or were fixed in a short time, (ii) many independent populations harbored CNVs spanning the same genes, and (iii) larger average size of CNVs in adapting populations relative to spontaneous CNVs. The latter is expected if larger CNVs are more likely to encompass genes under selection for a change in gene dosage. Several convergent CNVs originated in populations descended from different low fitness ancestors as well as high fitness controls.

Conclusions

We show that gene copy-number changes are a common class of adaptive genetic change. Due to the high rates of origin of spontaneous duplications and deletions, copy-number changes containing the same genes arose readily in independent populations. Duplications that reached high frequencies in these adapting populations were significantly larger in span. Many convergent CNVs may be general adaptations to laboratory conditions. These results demonstrate the great potential borne by CNVs for evolutionary adaptation.

SUBMITTER: Farslow JC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4673709 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Gene copy-number variation, which provides the raw material for the evolution of novel genes, is surprisingly widespread in natural populations. Experimental evolution studies have demonstrated an extremely high spontaneous rate of origin of gene duplications. When organisms are suboptimally adapted to their environment, gene duplication may compensate for reduced fitness by amplifying promiscuous activity of a gene, or increasing dosage of a suboptimal gene. The overarching goal of this study is to inverstigate whether CNVs constitute a common mechanism of adaptive genetic change during compensatory evolution and to further characterize the role of natural selection in dictating their evolutionary spread at a population-genomic level. Outcrossing populations of C. elegans with low fitness were evolved for >200 generations and the frequencies of CNVs in these populations were analyzed by oligonucleotide array comparative genome hybridization, quantitative PCR, and single-worm PCR. Multiple duplications and deletions were detected in intermediate to high frequencies and several lines of evidence suggest that the changes in frequency were adaptive. 1) Many copy-number changes reached high frequency, were near fixation, or were fixed in a short time. 2) Many independent duplications and deletions in high frequency harbor overlapping regions which likely include genes that are under selection for either higher or lower rates of expression. 3) The size spectrum of deuplications and deletions in the adaptive recovery populations is significantly larger than that of spontaneous copy-number variants in mutation accumulation experiments. This is expected if larger CNVs are more likely to encompass genes that are being selected for altered gene dosage. Out results validate the great potential borne by gene copy-number changes for compensatory evolution and adaptation. Experimental genome evolution of copy-number variants in 25 experimental lines compared to 5 ancestral control lines.