The genetics and evolution of sexual antagonism

The sexes represent two very different genetic environments as the selective pressures they experience are different due to reproductive roles. This leads to conflict in the form of genes with sex-specific fitness alleles: sexually antagonistic (SA) genes. This lowers fitness in both sexes, instigating strong selection for the resolution of conflict. SA variation is predicted to be common across the genome and to influence several biological phenomena e.g. maintenance of genetic variation, gene expression and even human health outcomes. Past research into SA resolution and evolution has been limited because of the small number of described SA loci. Recent work provides the first list of putative SA loci in Drosophila melanogaster. This project takes these loci as candidates to first validate their SA phenotypic effects and then investigate how SA variation has been maintained. First, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing will enact small genetic alterations and test their effect. Then, the maintenance of SA genetic variation will be probed by comparisons within other Drososphila species and by population genomic analyses of wild D. melanogaster populations. This work will provide a full picture of validated SA loci, their phenotypic affect, and their evolutionary history, both across different selective pressures and phylogenetic time.