---
_id: '430'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: In this issue of GENETICS, a new method for detecting natural selection on
polygenic traits is developed and applied to sev- eral human examples ( Racimo
et al. 2018 ). By de fi nition, many loci contribute to variation in polygenic
traits, and a challenge for evolutionary ge neticists has been that these traits
can evolve by small, nearly undetectable shifts in allele frequencies across each
of many, typically unknown, loci. Recently, a helpful remedy has arisen. Genome-wide
associ- ation studies (GWAS) have been illuminating sets of loci that can be interrogated
jointly for c hanges in allele frequencies. By aggregating small signal s of change
across many such loci, directional natural selection is now in principle detect-
able using genetic data, even for highly polygenic traits. This is an exciting
arena of progress – with these methods, tests can be made for selection associated
with traits, and we can now study selection in what may be its most prevalent
mode. The continuing fast pace of GWAS publications suggest there will be many
more polygenic tests of selection in the near future, as every new GWAS is an
opportunity for an accom- panying test of polygenic selection. However, it is
important to be aware of complications th at arise in interpretation, especially
given that these studies may easily be misinter- preted both in and outside the
evolutionary genetics commu- nity. Here, we provide context for understanding
polygenic tests and urge caution regarding how these results are inter- preted
and reported upon more broadly.
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: John
full_name: Novembre, John
last_name: Novembre
- first_name: Nicholas H
full_name: Barton, Nicholas H
id: 4880FE40-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Barton
orcid: 0000-0002-8548-5240
citation:
ama: Novembre J, Barton NH. Tread lightly interpreting polygenic tests of selection.
Genetics. 2018;208(4):1351-1355. doi:10.1534/genetics.118.300786
apa: Novembre, J., & Barton, N. H. (2018). Tread lightly interpreting polygenic
tests of selection. Genetics. Genetics Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.118.300786
chicago: Novembre, John, and Nicholas H Barton. “Tread Lightly Interpreting Polygenic
Tests of Selection.” Genetics. Genetics Society of America, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.118.300786.
ieee: J. Novembre and N. H. Barton, “Tread lightly interpreting polygenic tests
of selection,” Genetics, vol. 208, no. 4. Genetics Society of America,
pp. 1351–1355, 2018.
ista: Novembre J, Barton NH. 2018. Tread lightly interpreting polygenic tests of
selection. Genetics. 208(4), 1351–1355.
mla: Novembre, John, and Nicholas H. Barton. “Tread Lightly Interpreting Polygenic
Tests of Selection.” Genetics, vol. 208, no. 4, Genetics Society of America,
2018, pp. 1351–55, doi:10.1534/genetics.118.300786.
short: J. Novembre, N.H. Barton, Genetics 208 (2018) 1351–1355.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:46:26Z
date_published: 2018-04-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-09-19T10:17:30Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '576'
department:
- _id: NiBa
doi: 10.1534/genetics.118.300786
external_id:
isi:
- '000429094400005'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 3d838dc285df394376555b794b6a5ad1
content_type: application/pdf
creator: system
date_created: 2018-12-12T10:12:40Z
date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:46:26Z
file_id: '4958'
file_name: IST-2018-1012-v1+1_2018_Barton_Tread.pdf
file_size: 500129
relation: main_file
file_date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:46:26Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 208'
isi: 1
issue: '4'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '04'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 1351 - 1355
publication: Genetics
publication_status: published
publisher: Genetics Society of America
publist_id: '7393'
pubrep_id: '1012'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Tread lightly interpreting polygenic tests of selection
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: c635000d-4b10-11ee-a964-aac5a93f6ac1
volume: 208
year: '2018'
...