Genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize.

Meiotic drive elements are regions of the genome that are transmitted to progeny at frequencies that exceed Mendelian expectations, often to the detriment of the organism. In maize there are three prevalent chromosomal drive elements known as Abnormal chromosome 10 (Ab10), K10L2, and the B chromosom...

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Main Authors: Meghan J Brady, R Kelly Dawe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-07-01
Series:PLoS Genetics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1011742
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author Meghan J Brady
R Kelly Dawe
author_facet Meghan J Brady
R Kelly Dawe
author_sort Meghan J Brady
collection DOAJ
description Meiotic drive elements are regions of the genome that are transmitted to progeny at frequencies that exceed Mendelian expectations, often to the detriment of the organism. In maize there are three prevalent chromosomal drive elements known as Abnormal chromosome 10 (Ab10), K10L2, and the B chromosome. There has been much speculation about how these drivers might interact with each other and the environment in traditional maize landraces and their teosinte ancestors. Here we used genotype-by-sequencing data to score more than 10,000 maize and teosinte lines for the presence or absence of each driver. Fewer than ~0.5% of modern inbred lines carry chromosomal drivers. In contrast, among individuals from 5331 open-pollinated landraces, 6.32% carried Ab10, 5.16% carried K10L2, and 12.28% carried at least one B chromosome. These frequencies are consistent with those reported in previous studies. Using a GWAS approach we identified unlinked loci that associate with the presence or absence of the selfish genetic elements. Many significant SNPs are positively associated with the drivers, suggesting that there may have been selection for alleles that ameliorate their negative fitness consequences. We then assessed the contributions of population structure, associated loci, and the environment on the distribution of each chromosomal driver. There was no significant relationship between any chromosomal driver and altitude, contrary to conclusions based on smaller studies. Our data suggest that the distribution of the major chromosomal drivers is primarily influenced by neutral processes and the deleterious fitness consequences of the drivers themselves. While each driver has a unique relationship to genetic background and the environment, they are largely unconstrained by either.
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spelling doaj-art-08aae2f74583406eb40f9dfcee325e492025-08-20T03:56:05ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Genetics1553-73901553-74042025-07-01217e101174210.1371/journal.pgen.1011742Genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize.Meghan J BradyR Kelly DaweMeiotic drive elements are regions of the genome that are transmitted to progeny at frequencies that exceed Mendelian expectations, often to the detriment of the organism. In maize there are three prevalent chromosomal drive elements known as Abnormal chromosome 10 (Ab10), K10L2, and the B chromosome. There has been much speculation about how these drivers might interact with each other and the environment in traditional maize landraces and their teosinte ancestors. Here we used genotype-by-sequencing data to score more than 10,000 maize and teosinte lines for the presence or absence of each driver. Fewer than ~0.5% of modern inbred lines carry chromosomal drivers. In contrast, among individuals from 5331 open-pollinated landraces, 6.32% carried Ab10, 5.16% carried K10L2, and 12.28% carried at least one B chromosome. These frequencies are consistent with those reported in previous studies. Using a GWAS approach we identified unlinked loci that associate with the presence or absence of the selfish genetic elements. Many significant SNPs are positively associated with the drivers, suggesting that there may have been selection for alleles that ameliorate their negative fitness consequences. We then assessed the contributions of population structure, associated loci, and the environment on the distribution of each chromosomal driver. There was no significant relationship between any chromosomal driver and altitude, contrary to conclusions based on smaller studies. Our data suggest that the distribution of the major chromosomal drivers is primarily influenced by neutral processes and the deleterious fitness consequences of the drivers themselves. While each driver has a unique relationship to genetic background and the environment, they are largely unconstrained by either.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1011742
spellingShingle Meghan J Brady
R Kelly Dawe
Genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize.
PLoS Genetics
title Genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize.
title_full Genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize.
title_fullStr Genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize.
title_full_unstemmed Genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize.
title_short Genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize.
title_sort genetic and environmental influences on the distributions of three chromosomal drive haplotypes in maize
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1011742
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