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Inference of assortative mating and selection on heterozygotes from multi-locus gene families.
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  • Gabe O'Reilly,
  • Oliver Manlik,
  • Sandra Vardeh,
  • Jennifer Sinclair,
  • Zachary Lawler,
  • William Sherwin
Gabe O'Reilly
UNSW

Corresponding Author:gabe.d.oreilly@gmail.com

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Oliver Manlik
United Arab Emirates University
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Sandra Vardeh
University of New South Wales
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Jennifer Sinclair
University of New South Wales
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Zachary Lawler
The University of Newcastle
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William Sherwin
UNSW
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Abstract

1. The fixation index, FIS has been a staple measure to detect selection or departures from random mating in populations. However, current Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) cannot easily estimate Fis, in multi-locus gene families, which contain multiple loci having similar or identical arrays of variant sequences of ≥1 kilobase, which differ at multiple positions. In these families, high-quality short-read NGS data typically identify variants, but not the genomic location, which is required to calculate Fis (based on locus-specific observed and expected heterozygosity). Thus, to assess assortative mating, or selection on heterozygotes, from NGS of multi-locus gene families, we need a method that does not require knowledge of which variants are allelic at which locus in the genome. 2. We developed such a method. Like Fis, our novel measure, 1His, is based on the principle that positive assortative mating, or selection against heterozygotes, reduces within-individual variability relative to the population. 3. We demonstrate high accuracy of 1His on a wide-range of simulated scenarios, and two datasets from natural populations of penguins and dolphins. 4. 1His is important because multi-locus gene families are often involved in assortative mating, or selection on heterozygotes. 1His is particularly useful for multi-locus gene families such as toll-like receptors, the major-histocompatibility-complex in animals, homeobox genes in fungi and self-incompatibility genes in plants.
16 Jun 2023Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
16 Jun 2023Submission Checks Completed
16 Jun 2023Assigned to Editor
21 Jun 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
26 Jul 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
14 Feb 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
17 May 20241st Revision Received
27 May 2024Submission Checks Completed
27 May 2024Assigned to Editor
27 May 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 May 2024Editorial Decision: Accept