Work

Rapid evolution driven by translocation-associated selection during meiosis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The evolution of allele frequencies in a population is often ascribed to differential fitness among organisms carrying different alleles. However, selection during meiosis can substantially influence this process. Here, we studied the evolution of a hybrid yeast population over six meiotic generations and observed rapid allele frequency dynamics at many genomic loci. By tracking the whole population and analyzing single gametes we discovered that biased segregation pattern during meiosis can drive rapid evolutionary changes at translocation-linked loci. The inter-chromosomal translocation present in one parental strain creates quadrivalent structures that promote adjacent-1 segregation coupled with crossover formation over alternate segregation during meiosis. This ultimately increases the proportion of unbalanced gametes, and consequently alters allele frequencies in the population. These findings demonstrate that meiotic selection operates more broadly than previously recognized and constitutes a significant evolutionary force affecting population allele frequencies. Given the prevalence of inter-chromosomal translocations, biased segregation pattern may complement the established role of translocations in shaping evolutionary outcomes.

Source: EMBO Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s44319-026-00820-6

Authors: Xuming Zeng, Mengdong Zhang, Xuanxuan Liu, Xionglei He, Li Liu

Institution: Sun Yat-sen University

Language: English

Topic: Evolution and Genetic Dynamics

Subfield: Genetics

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $7,990

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province