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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.07.18.665591

Genomic response to sex-separated gene pools

Melo-Gavin, C.·Grieshop, K.·Agrawal, A. F.
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Abstract

Males and females experience differences in the strength and direction of selection but discerning the type of genes that are targets of sex differences in selection is complicated by their shared genome. We used experimental evolution in Drosophila melanogaster to partially separate the gene pools of males and females for 130 generations. In six replicate populations, we forced one pool of genetically variable Chromosome 2s to experience patrilinear inheritance (segregating like a Y-chromosome) and male-limited selection. The alternative pool segregated like an X-chromosome and experienced female-biased selection. This allowed alleles which are differentially selected for between the sexes to diverge between these pools, enabling us to gain insight into the type of genes subject to such selection. We find that genes which diverge between these pools have an elevated intersexual genetic correlation(rMF) for expression on average, consistent with the idea that high genetic correlations may hinder sex-specific adaptation under normal inheritance. Diverged genes were also enriched for moderately male-biased genes whereas female-biased genes were underrepresented. At the SNP level, we find an overrepresentation of diverged SNPs involved in splicing or occurring in the 5UTR and an underrepresentation of missense or synonymous SNPs, suggesting sex differences in selection for isoform usage.

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Melo-Gavin, C., Grieshop, K., Agrawal, A. F.. 2025-07-23. Genomic response to sex-separated gene pools. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.18.665591

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