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Sex differences in disease genetics: evidence, evolution, and detection

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 23:59 authored by William P Gilks, Jessica K Abbott, Ted Morrow
Understanding the genetic architecture of disease is an enormous challenge, and should be guided by evolutionary principles. Recent studies in evolutionary genetics show that sexual selection can have a profound influence on the genetic architecture of complex traits. Here, we summarise data from heritability studies and genomewide association studies (GWASs) showing that common genetic variation influences many diseases and medically relevanttraits in a sex-dependent manner. In addition, we discuss how the discovery of sex-dependent effects in population samples is improved by joint interaction analysis (rather than separate-sex), as well as by recently developed software. Finally, we argue that although genetic variation that has sex-dependent effects on disease risk could be maintained by mutation–selection balance and genetic drift, recent evidence indicates that intralocus sexual conflict could be a powerful influence on complex trait architecture, and maintain sex-dependent disease risk alleles in a population because they are beneficial to the opposite sex.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Trends in Genetics

ISSN

0168-9525

Publisher

Elsevier

Issue

10

Volume

30

Page range

453-463

Department affiliated with

  • Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-01-15

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    University of Sussex (Publications)

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