title: Genetic considerations in human sex-mate selection: partners share human leukocyte antigen but not short-tandem-repeat identity markers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous studies support a role for MHC on mating preference, yet it remains unsettled as to whether mating occurs preferentially between individuals sharing human leukocyte antigen (HLA) determinants or not. Investigating sex-mate preferences in the contemporary Israeli population is of further curiosity being a population with distinct genetic characteristics, where multifaceted cultural considerations influence mate selection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pairs of male-female sex partners were evaluated in three groups. Two groups represented unmarried (n = 1002) or married (n = 308) couples and a control group of fictitious male-female couples. HLA and short-tandem-repeat (STR) genetic identification markers were assessed for the frequency of shared antigens and alleles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Human leukocyte antigen results showed that Class I and/ or Class II single antigen as well as double antigen sharing was more common in sex partners than in control group couples (P < 0.001). Married versus unmarried pairs were not distinguishable. In contrast, STR-DNA markers failed to differentiate between sex-mates and controls (P = 0.78).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sex partnerships shared HLA determinants more frequently than randomly constituted male-female pairs. The observed phenomenon does not reflect a syngenetic background between sex-mates as STR markers were not selectively shared. Thus, sex-mate selection in man may contravene the evolutionary pressure for genetic diversity in regard to HLA.
authors.affiliation: Tissue Typing Laboratory, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Israeli
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kristt
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nardi
authors.forename: Tirza
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D006680:HLA Antigens
keywords: Genetics; human leukocyte antigen; mating; selection; short tandem repeats