title: Spontaneous mutations and the origin and maintenance of quantitative genetic variation.
abstract: Mutation and natural selection shape the genetic variation in natural populations. Here, we directly estimated the spontaneous mutation rate by sequencing new Drosophila mutation accumulation lines maintained with minimal natural selection. We inferred strong stabilizing natural selection on quantitative traits because genetic variation among wild-derived inbred lines was much lower than predicted from a neutral model and the mutational effects were much larger than allelic effects of standing polymorphisms. Stabilizing selection could act directly on the traits, or indirectly from pleiotropic effects on fitness. However, our data are not consistent with simple models of mutation-stabilizing selection balance; therefore, further empirical work is needed to assess the balance of evolutionary forces responsible for quantitative genetic variation.
authors.affiliation: Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lyman
authors.affiliation: Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|Department of Biology, Knox College, Galesburg, United States.
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lyman
authors.affiliation: Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.
authors.forename: Mary Anna
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.affiliation: Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.
authors.forename: Susan T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Harbison
authors.affiliation: Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Magwire
authors.affiliation: Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.|Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States.
authors.forename: Trudy Fc
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2312-7245
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Mackay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D000067552:Mutation Accumulation; D059645:Mutation Rate; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D012641:Selection, Genetic
keywords: D. melanogaster; evolutionary biology; gene expression; genome sequencing; genomics; mutation accumulation; stabilizing selection