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arXiv · 2504.02081

Addressing missing context in regulatory variation across primate evolution

Genevieve Housman·Audrey Arner·Amy Longtin·Christian Gagnon·Arun Durvasula·Amanda Lea
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Abstract

In primates, loci associated with adaptive trait variation often fall in non-coding regions. Understanding the mechanisms linking these regulatory variants to fitness-relevant phenotypes remains challenging, but can be addressed using functional genomic data. However, such data are rarely generated at scale in non-human primates. When they are, only select tissues, cell types, developmental stages, and cellular environments are typically considered, despite appreciation that adaptive variants often exhibit context-dependent effects. In this review, we 1) discuss why context-dependent regulatory loci might be especially evolutionarily relevant in primates, 2) explore challenges and emerging solutions for mapping such context-dependent variation, and 3) discuss the scientific questions these data could address. We argue that filling this gap will provide critical insights into evolutionary processes, human disease, and regulatory adaptation.

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Genevieve Housman, Audrey Arner, Amy Longtin, Christian Gagnon, Arun Durvasula, Amanda Lea. 2025-04-02. Addressing missing context in regulatory variation across primate evolution. https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.02081

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