PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Ming, Matthew J. AU - Cheng, Changde AU - Kirkpatrick, Mark AU - Harpak, Arbel TI - Does Sex-Differential Gene Expression Drive Sex-Differential Selection in Humans? AID - 10.1101/2024.07.23.604672 DP - 2024 Jan 01 TA - bioRxiv PG - 2024.07.23.604672 4099 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2024/07/24/2024.07.23.604672.short 4100 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2024/07/24/2024.07.23.604672.full AB - Sex differences in human transcriptomes have been argued to drive sex-differential natural selection (SDS). Here, we show that previous evidence supporting this hypothesis has been largely unfounded. We develop a new method to test for a genome-wide relationship between sex differences in expression and selection on expression-influencing alleles (eQTLs). We apply it across 39 human tissues and find no evidence for a general relationship. We offer possible explanations for the lack of evidence, including that it is due in part to eQTL ascertainment bias towards sites under weak selection. We conclude that the drivers of ongoing SDS in humans remain to be identified.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.