| RRC ID |
80748
|
| Author |
Long L, Xu W, Valencia F, Paaby AB, McGrath PT.
|
| Title |
A toxin-antidote selfish element increases fitness of its host.
|
| Journal |
Elife
|
| Abstract |
Selfish genetic elements can promote their transmission at the expense of individual survival, creating conflict between the element and the rest of the genome. Recently, a large number of toxin-antidote (TA) post-segregation distorters have been identified in non-obligate outcrossing nematodes. Their origin and the evolutionary forces that keep them at intermediate population frequencies are poorly understood. Here, we study a TA element in Caenorhabditis elegans called zeel-1;peel-1. Two major haplotypes of this locus, with and without the selfish element, segregate in C. elegans. We evaluate the fitness consequences of the zeel-1;peel-1 element outside of its role in gene drive in non-outcrossing animals and demonstrate that loss of the toxin peel-1 decreased fitness of hermaphrodites and resulted in reductions in fecundity and body size. These findings suggest a biological role for peel-1 beyond toxin lethality. This work demonstrates that a TA element can provide a fitness benefit to its hosts either during their initial evolution or by being co-opted by the animals following their selfish spread. These findings guide our understanding on how TA elements can remain in a population where gene drive is minimized, helping resolve the mystery of prevalent TA elements in selfing animals.
|
| Volume |
12
|
| Published |
2023-10-24
|
| DOI |
10.7554/eLife.81640
|
| PII |
81640
|
| PMID |
37874324
|
| PMC |
PMC10629817
|
| MeSH |
Animals
Antidotes
Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins* / genetics
Fertility
Gene Frequency
Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
Toxins, Biological*
|
| Resource |
| C.elegans |
tm229
tm377
tm409
tm1000
tm1001
tm1003
tm1004
tm1005
tm1006
tm573 |
