Background: Mutation rates vary across the genome. Whereas many trans factors that influence mutation rates have been identified, as have specific sequence motifs at the 1-7 bp scale, cis elements remain poorly characterized. The lack of understanding why different sequences have different mutation rates hampers our ability to identify positive selection in evolution and to identify driver mutations in tumorigenesis. Results: Here we show, using a combination of synthetic genes and sequencing of thousands of isolated yeast colonies, that intrinsic DNA curvature is the major cis determinant of mutation rate. Mutation rate negatively correlates with DNA curvature within genes, and a 10% decrease in curvature results in a 70% increase in mutation rate. Consistently, both yeast cells and human tumors accumulate mutations in regions with small curvature. We further show that this effect is due to differences in the intrinsic mutation rate, likely due to differences in mutagen sensitivity, and not due to differences in the local activity of DNA repair. Conclusions: Our study establishes a framework in understanding the cis properties of DNA sequence in modulating the local mutation rate and identifies a novel causal source of non-uniform mutation rates across the genome.

DNA local structure decreases mutation rates