Biologists Use Population Genomics to Study a Selfish “Supergene” That Skews Genetic Inheritance

The human genome is littered with “selfish genetic elements,” which do not seem to benefit their hosts, but instead seek only to propagate themselves. Selfish genetic elements can wreak havoc by, for instance, distorting sex ratios, impairing fertility, causing harmful mutations, and even potentially causing population extinction. Biologists at the University of Rochester, including Amanda Larracuente (photo), PhD, an Associate Professor of Biology, and Daven Presgraves, PhD, a University Dean’s Professor of Biology, have, for the first time, used population genomics to shed light on the evolution and consequences of a selfish genetic element known as Segregation Distorter (SD). In a paper published April 29, 2022 in eLife, the researchers report that SD has caused dramatic changes in chromosome organization and genetic diversity. The open-access article is titled “Epistatic Selection on a Selfish Segregation Distorter Supergene--Drive, Recombination, and Genetic Load.”