Widespread haploid-biased gene expression enables sperm-level natural selection

Sperm-specific natural selection Sperm cells are genetically haploid, but because of the cytoplasmic bridges that link cells, they can be transcriptionally diploid. However, some gene transcripts not shared. Bhutani et al. sequenced single sperm from mice, cattle, and macaques to determine extent distortion in expression these putatively selfish transcripts, which authors call genoinformative markers (GIMs). Investigating evolutionary pressures on GIMs, found exhibited signatures positive yet tend biased toward function. This observation explains why, relative other tissues, testis shows distinctive patterns. Science , this issue p. eabb1723