title: MHC-dependent mate choice in humans: why genomic patterns from the HapMap European American dataset support the hypothesis.
abstract: The role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in mate choice in humans is controversial. Nowadays, the availability of genetic variation data at genomic scales allows for a careful assessment of this question. In 2008, Chaix et al. reported evidence for MHC-dependent mate choice among European American spouses from the HapMap 2 dataset. Recently, Derti et al. suggested that this observation was not robust. Furthermore, when Derti et al. applied similar analyses to the HapMap 3 European American samples, they did not see a significant effect. Although some of the points raised by Derti et al. are relevant, we disagree with the reported absence of evidence for MHC-dependent mate choice within the HapMap samples. More precisely, we show here that the MHC dissimilarity among HapMap 3 European American spouses is still extreme in comparison to the rest of the genome, even after multiple testing correction. This finding supports the hypothesis of MHC-dependent mate choice in some human populations.
authors.affiliation: Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, UMR 7206 CNRS, MNHN, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: Raphaëlle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chaix
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D015894:Genome, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D060148:HapMap Project; D006801:Humans; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D012747:Sexual Partners; D044465:White People