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Molecular evolution

Adaptation by loss of function

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 14, pages 596–597 (2013)Cite this article

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Hottes et al. took advantage of the availability of quantitative fitness data from loss-of-function screens in Escherichia coli under various conditions, including different nutrient sources and chemical or physical hazards. They carried out a meta-analysis of 144 conditions using data from seven studies. In these studies, loss of function was generated either by in-frame deletions or by transposon mutagenization, such as in the authors' own experiments which were included in the analysis. Although some of these mutations might not be found in the wild, the phenotypes generated do mirror those that are produced by common point mutations or small insertions and deletions.

This study changes the widely held view that loss-of-function mutations are maladaptive

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References

  1. Hottes, A. K. et al. Bacterial adaptation through loss of function. PLoS Genet. 9, e1003617 (2013)

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  1. Hannah Stower
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Stower, H. Adaptation by loss of function. Nat Rev Genet 14, 596–597 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3557

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