Ogbunugafor C Brandon
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Evolution. 2022 Feb;76(S1):37-48. doi: 10.1111/evo.14428. Epub 2022 Jan 24.
Since the modern synthesis, the fitness effects of mutations and epistasis have been central yet provocative concepts in evolutionary and population genetics. Studies of how the interactions between parcels of genetic information can change as a function of environmental context have added a layer of complexity to these discussions. Here, I introduce the "mutation effect reaction norm" (Mu-RN), a new instrument through which one can analyze the phenotypic consequences of mutations and interactions across environmental contexts. It embodies the fusion of measurements of genetic interactions with the reaction norm, a classic depiction of the performance of genotypes across environments. I demonstrate the utility of the Mu-RN through a case study: the signature of a "compensatory ratchet" mutation that undermines reverse evolution of antimicrobial resistance. In closing, I argue that the mutation effect reaction norm may help us resolve the dynamism and unpredictability of evolution, with implications for theoretical biology, biotechnology, and public health.
自现代综合进化论以来，突变和上位性的适应性效应一直是进化遗传学和群体遗传学中的核心概念，同时也颇具争议。关于遗传信息片段之间的相互作用如何随环境背景而变化的研究，给这些讨论增添了一层复杂性。在此，我引入“突变效应反应规范”（Mu-RN），这是一种新工具，通过它可以分析突变及跨环境背景相互作用的表型后果。它体现了遗传相互作用测量与反应规范的融合，反应规范是对基因型在不同环境中表现的经典描述。我通过一个案例研究展示了Mu-RN的实用性：一个破坏抗微生物药物抗性逆向进化的“补偿性棘轮”突变的特征。最后，我认为突变效应反应规范可能有助于我们解决进化的动态性和不可预测性问题，这对理论生物学、生物技术和公共卫生都有影响。
