To the bottom of genetic assortative mating: a genetic investigation of what drives mate choice within two present day European populations

The choice of mating partner is a topic which has been an object of both biological and sociological interest. Although much research has been done on the basis of phenotype data, the age of next generation sequencing together with genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and the establishment of biobanks across Europe have provided researchers with the possibility to gain a better understanding of mate choice in humans from a genetic point of view. This work focuses on detecting the presence of genetic assortative mating in contemporary human populations in Europe and studying its patterns. It is based on a newly developed method for genotype analysis different from the available research, since it builds on single genomes rather than on pedigrees or couples. Using individual genomes, we detected signals of assortative mating in the previous generation, based on a computed score from genetic windows containing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with complex traits of interest, and compared it to each individual’s phenotype data. The outcome of this work represents an initial insight into the genetic perspective of partner selection to have taken place in the previous generation of individuals with homogenous backgrounds.