Age-Specific Properties of Spontaneous Mutations Affecting Mortality in Drosophila melanogaster

Corresponding author: Scott D. Pletcher, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, plet0005{at}tc.umn.edu (E-mail).

Communicating editor: A. G. CLARK

An analysis of the effects of spontaneous mutations affecting age-specific mortality was conducted using 29 lines of Drosophila melanogaster that had accumulated spontaneous mutations for 19 generations. Divergence among the lines was used to estimate the mutational variance for weekly mortality rates and the covariance between weekly mortality rates at different ages. Significant mutational variance was observed in both males and females early in life (up to ~30 days of age). Mutational variance was not significantly different from zero for mortality rates at older ages. Mutational correlations between ages separated by 1 or 2 wk were generally positive, but they declined monotonically with increasing separation such that mutational effects on early-age mortality were uncorrelated with effects at later ages. Analyses of individual lines revealed several instances of mutation-induced changes in mortality over a limited range of ages. Significant age-specific effects of mutations were identified in early and middle ages, but surprisingly, mortality rates at older ages were essentially unaffected by the accumulation procedure. Our results provide strong evidence for the existence of a class of polygenic mutations that affect mortality rates on an age-specific basis. The patterns of mutational effects measured here relate directly to recently published estimates of standing genetic variance for mortality in Drosophila, and they support mutation accumulation as a viable mechanism for the evolution of senescence.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. A. Moorad and D. E. L. Promislow A Theory of Age-Dependent Mutation and Senescence Genetics, August 1, 2008; 179(4): 2061 - 2073. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. E. Ricklefs and C. D. Cadena Heritability of Longevity in Captive Populations of Nondomesticated Mammals and Birds J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., May 1, 2008; 63(5): 435 - 446. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Hoikkala, M. Saarikettu, J. S. Kotiaho, and J. O. Liimatainen Age-related decrease in male reproductive success and song quality in Drosophila montana Behav. Ecol., January 1, 2008; 19(1): 94 - 99. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. M. Reynolds, S. Temiyasathit, M. M. Reedy, E. A. Ruedi, J. M. Drnevich, J. Leips, and K. A. Hughes Age Specificity of Inbreeding Load in Drosophila melanogaster and Implications For the Evolution of Late-Life Mortality Plateaus Genetics, September 1, 2007; 177(1): 587 - 595. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Leips, P. Gilligan, and T. F. C. Mackay Quantitative Trait Loci With Age-Specific Effects on Fecundity in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, March 1, 2006; 172(3): 1595 - 1605. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. C. Spencer and D. E. L. Promislow Age-Specific Changes in Epistatic Effects on Mortality Rate in Drosophila melanogaster J. Hered., September 1, 2005; 96(5): 513 - 521. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Baudisch Hamilton's indicators of the force of selection PNAS, June 7, 2005; 102(23): 8263 - 8268. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. D. Cutter and S. Ward Sexual and Temporal Dynamics of Molecular Evolution in C. elegans Development Mol. Biol. Evol., January 1, 2005; 22(1): 178 - 188. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. N. Forbes, R. K. Valenzuela, P. Keim, and P. M. Service Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Life Span in Replicated Populations of Drosophila melanogaster. I. Composite Interval Mapping Genetics, September 1, 2004; 168(1): 301 - 311. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Jaffrezic, R. Thompson, and S. D. Pletcher Multivariate Character Process Models for the Analysis of Two or More Correlated Function-Valued Traits Genetics, September 1, 2004; 168(1): 477 - 487. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. D. Pletcher Mitigating the Tithonus Error: Genetic Analysis of Mortality Phenotypes Sci. Aging Knowl. Environ., September 18, 2002; 2002(37): pe14 - 14. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. M. Bronikowski, T. J. Morgan, T. Garland Jr., and P. A. Carter Antioxidant Gene Expression in Active and Sedentary House Mice (Mus domesticus) Selected for High Voluntary Wheel-Running Behavior Genetics, August 1, 2002; 161(4): 1763 - 1769. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. E. L. Promislow, C. F. Jung, and M. L. Arnold Age-Specific Fitness Components in Hybrid Females of Drosophila pseudoobscura and D. persimilis J. Hered., January 1, 2001; 92(1): 30 - 37. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. D. Pletcher, A. A. Khazaeli, and J. W. Curtsinger Why Do Life Spans Differ? Partitioning Mean Longevity Differences in Terms of Age-Specific Mortality Parameters J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., August 1, 2000; 55(8): 381B - 389. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. Buck, J. Vettraino, A. G. Force, and R. Arking Extended Longevity in Drosophila Is Consistently Associated With a Decrease in Developmental Viability J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., June 1, 2000; 55(6): 292B - 301. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				R. G. Shaw, D. L. Byers, and E. Darmo Spontaneous Mutational Effects on Reproductive Traits of Arabidopsis thaliana Genetics, May 1, 2000; 155(1): 369 - 378. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				C. M. Sgrò and L. Partridge A Delayed Wave of Death from Reproduction in Drosophila Science, December 24, 1999; 286(5449): 2521 - 2524. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. D. Pletcher, D. Houle, and J. W. Curtsinger The Evolution of Age-Specific Mortality Rates in Drosophila melanogaster: Genetic Divergence Among Unselected Lines Genetics, October 1, 1999; 153(2): 813 - 823. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. D. Pletcher and C. J. Geyer The Genetic Analysis of Age-Dependent Traits: Modeling the Character Process Genetics, October 1, 1999; 153(2): 825 - 835. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. H. Shaw, D. E. L. Promislow, M. Tatar, K. A. Hughes, and C. J. Geyer Toward Reconciling Inferences Concerning Genetic Variation in Senescence in Drosophila melanogaster Genetics, June 1, 1999; 152(2): 553 - 566. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				L. L. Vassilieva and M. Lynch The Rate of Spontaneous Mutation for Life-History Traits in Caenorhabditis elegans Genetics, January 1, 1999; 151(1): 119 - 129. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. W. Vaupel, J. R. Carey, K. Christensen, T. E. Johnson, A. I. Yashin, N. V. Holm, I. A. Iachine, V. Kannisto, A. A. Khazaeli, P. Liedo, et al. Biodemographic Trajectories of Longevity Science, May 8, 1998; 280(5365): 855 - 860. [Abstract] [Full Text]