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Pairomics, the omics way to mate choice.
Sergio Ulhoa Dani1, Winfried März, Paulo Mauricio Serrano Neves
1Medawar Institute for Medical and Environmental Research, Acangau Foundation, Paracatu, Brazil.
Journal of Human Genetics
|August 16, 2013
Summary
Pairomics, the study of mate choice at the genomic level, analyzes genetic data to understand reproduction outcomes. This emerging science has broad implications for human health, evolution, and society.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genomics
- Reproductive science
Background:
- Sexual reproduction is central to human evolution and species development.
- Human mate choice and pair bonding significantly influence individual lives and evolutionary trajectories.
- Genetic information in reproduction is considered a universal human right.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and define Pairomics as a novel omics science.
- To explore the genomic underpinnings of human mate choice.
- To investigate the consequences of mate choice for current and future generations.
Main Methods:
- Storing comprehensive genetic information in a centralized database.
- Utilizing computational tools to analyze mating schemes and rules.
- Employing mating models and algorithms to simulate reproductive outcomes.
Main Results:
- Pairomics offers a new perspective on understanding mating schemes and their results.
- Simulations can predict the consequences of specific mating choices.
- Genetic information can serve as an additional factor in complex mate choice decisions.
Conclusions:
- Pairomics has far-reaching scientific, medical, evolutionary, ethical, legal, and social implications.
- The integration of genetic information into mate choice may impact human health, behavior, and culture.
- Expanding genomic databases and knowledge will enhance Pairomics' predictive capabilities.
Related Concept Videos
Mate Choice
Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Genomics
Genomics is the science of genomes: it is the study of all the genetic material of an organism. In humans, the genome consists of information carried in 23 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus, as well as mitochondrial DNA. In genomics, both coding and non-coding DNA is sequenced and analyzed. Genomics allows a better understanding of all living things, their evolution, and their diversity. It has a myriad of uses: for example, to build phylogenetic trees, to improve productivity and...
Inclusive Fitness
Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.
Frequency-dependent Selection
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...

