Three Signatures of Adaptive Polymorphism Exemplified by Malaria-Associated Genes.

ABSTRACT: Malaria has been one of the strongest selective pressures on our species. Many of the best-characterized cases of adaptive evolution in humans are in genes tied to malaria resistance. However, the complex evolutionary patterns at these genes are poorly captured by standard scans for nonneutral evolution. Here, we present three new statistical tests for selection based on population genetic patterns that are observed more than once among key malaria resistance loci. We assess these tests using forward-time evolutionary simulations and apply them to global whole-genome sequencing data from humans, and thus we show that they are effective at distinguishing selection from neutrality. Each test captures a distinct evolutionary pattern, here called Divergent Haplotypes, Repeated Shifts, and Arre

SUBMITTER: Tennessen JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8042748 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature