The evolutionary genomics of meiotic drive

Meiotic drivers are selfish genetic elements that gain transmission advantages by distorting equal, Mendelian segregation. For decades, biologists have considered meiotic drivers as interesting, albeit esoteric, case studies. It is now clear, however, that meiotic drive is more common and phylogenetically widespread than previously supposed. Indeed, intensive study of a few well-known cases has begun to reveal the evolutionary genomic consequences of meiotic drive. We argue here that many features of genome evolution, content, and organization that are seemingly inexplicable by organismal adaptation or nearly neutral processes are instead best accounted for by recurrent histories of meiotic drive. We review how meiotic drive can affect the evolution of sequences, gene copy numbers, genes with functions in meiosis and gametogenesis, signatures of “selection,” chromosome rearrangements, and karyotype evolution. We also explore the interactions of meiotic drive elements with other classes of selfish genetic elements, including satellite DNAs, transposable elements, and with the endogenous host genes involved in drive suppression. Finally, we argue that some aspects of drive-mediated genome evolution are now sufficiently well established that we might reverse the direction of discovery—rather than ask how drive affects genome evolution, we can use genome data to discover new putative drive elements.