Sex-biased gene expression and sexual conflict throughout development.
Sex-biased gene expression is likely to account for most sexually dimorphic traits because males and females share much of their genome. When fitness optima differ between sexes for a shared trait, sexual dimorphism can allow each sex to express their optimum trait phenotype, and in this way, the evolution of sex-biased gene expression is one mechanism that could help to resolve intralocus sexual conflict. Genome-wide patterns of sex-biased gene expression have been identified in a number of studies, which we review here. However, very little is known about how sex-biased gene expression relates to sex-specific fitness and about how sex-biased gene expression and conflict vary throughout development or across different genotypes, populations, and environments. We discuss the importance of these neglected areas of research and use data from a small-scale experiment on sex-specific expression of genes throughout development to highlight potentially interesting avenues for future research.
Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, United Kingdom.
Fiona C
FC
Ingleby
Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, United Kingdom.
Ilona
I
Flis
Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith Building, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, United Kingdom.
Edward H
EH
Morrow
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D056084:Genetic Fitness / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D012727:Sex Characteristics