Transient Mutators: A Semiquantitative Analysis of the Influence of Translation and Transcription Errors on Mutation Rates

INVESTIGATIONS

Transient Mutators: A Semiquantitative Analysis of the Influence of Translation and Transcription Errors on Mutation Rates

J. Ninio
Institut Jacques Monod, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris cedex 05, France

A population of bacteria growing in a nonlimiting medium includes mutator bacteria and transient mutators defined as wild-type bacteria which, due to occasional transcription or translation errors, display a mutator phenotype. A semiquantitative theoretical analysis of the steady-state composition of an Escherichia coli population suggests that true strong genotypic mutators produce about 3 X 10(-3) of the single mutations arising in the population, while transient mutators produce at least 10% of the single mutations and more than 95% of the simultaneous double mutations. Numbers of mismatch repair proteins inherited by the offspring, proportions of lethal mutations and mortality rates are among the main parameters that influence the steady-state composition of the population. These results have implications for the experimental manipulation of mutation rates and the evolutionary fixation of frequent but nearly neutral mutations (e.g., synonymous codon substitutions).

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				E. R. Travis and J. M. J. Travis Mutators in Space: The Dynamics of High-Mutability Clones in a Two-Patch Model Genetics, May 1, 2004; 167(1): 513 - 522. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.-J. Lombardo, I. Aponyi, and S. M. Rosenberg General Stress Response Regulator RpoS in Adaptive Mutation and Amplification in Escherichia coli Genetics, February 1, 2004; 166(2): 669 - 680. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Cairns and P. L. Foster The Risk of Lethals for Hypermutating Bacteria in Stationary Phase Genetics, December 1, 2003; 165(4): 2317 - 2318. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Roth, E. Kofoid, F. P. Roth, O. G. Berg, J. Seger, and D. I. Andersson Adaptive Mutation Requires No Mutagenesis--Only Growth Under Selection: A Response Genetics, December 1, 2003; 165(4): 2319 - 2321. [Full Text] [PDF]

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				J. Cairns Mutation and Cancer: The Antecedents to Our Studies of Adaptive Mutation Genetics, April 1, 1998; 148(4): 1433 - 1440. [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. L. Foster Adaptive Mutation: Has the Unicorn Landed? Genetics, April 1, 1998; 148(4): 1453 - 1459. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. L. Jackson and L. A. Loeb The Mutation Rate and Cancer Genetics, April 1, 1998; 148(4): 1483 - 1490. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. M. Rosenberg, C. Thulin, and R. S. Harris Transient and Heritable Mutators in Adaptive Evolution in the Lab and in Nature Genetics, April 1, 1998; 148(4): 1559 - 1566. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. W. Drake, B. Charlesworth, D. Charlesworth, and J. F. Crow Rates of Spontaneous Mutation Genetics, April 1, 1998; 148(4): 1667 - 1686. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]