Genomic Targets of Positive Selection in Giant Mice from Gough island

A key challenge in understanding how organisms adapt to their environments is to identify the mutations and genes that make it possible. By comparing patterns of sequence variation to neutral predictions across genomes, the targets of positive selection can be located. We applied this logic to house mice that invaded Gough Island (GI), an unusual population that shows phenotypic and ecological hallmarks of selection. We used massively parallel short-read sequencing to survey the genomes of 14 GI mice. We computed a set of summary statistics to capture diverse aspects of variation across these genome sequences, used approximate Bayesian computation to reconstruct a null demographic model, and then applied machine learning to estimate the posterior probability of positive selection in each region of the genome. Using a conservative threshold, 1,463 5-kb windows show strong evidence for positive selection in GI mice but not in a mainland reference population of German mice. Disproportionate shares of these selection windows contain genes that harbor derived nonsynonymous mutations with large frequency differences. Over-represented gene ontologies in selection windows emphasize neurological themes. Inspection of genomic regions harboring many selection windows with high posterior probabilities pointed to genes with known effects on exploratory behavior and body size as potential targets. Some genes in these regions contain candidate adaptive variants, including missense mutations and/or putative regulatory mutations. Our results provide a genomic portrait of adaptation to island conditions and position GI mice as a powerful system for understanding the genetic component of natural selection.

Automated summary

By studying the genomes of house mice that invaded Gough Island, researchers identified numerous windows showing strong evidence for positive selection, with genes related to exploratory behavior and body size being potential targets. These selection windows contain genes with derived nonsynonymous mutations and over-represented gene ontologies emphasizing neurological themes. This study provides insights into the genetic basis of adaptation to island conditions and establishes Gough Island mice as a valuable system for studying natural selection.