The Rate and Molecular Spectrum of Spontaneous Mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Evolution in Action: Rates of evolution in gene and genome sequences have been estimated, but these estimates are subject to error because many of the steps of evolution over the ages are not directly measurable or are hidden under subsequent changes. Ossowski et al. (p. 92 ) now provide a more accurate measurement of how often spontaneous mutations arise in a nuclear genome. Mutations arising over 30 generations were compared by sequencing DNA from individual Arabidopsis thaliana plants. UV- and deamination-induced mutagenesis appeared to bias the type of mutations found.