iHDSel software: The Price equation and the population stability index to detect genomic patterns compatible with selective sweeps. An example with SARS-CoV-2.

Abstract

A large number of methods have been developed and continue to be developed for detecting the signatures of selective sweeps in genomes. Significant advances have been made, including the combination of different statistical strategies and the incorporation of artificial intelligence (machine learning) methods. Despite these advances, several common problems persist, such as the unknown null distribution of the statistics used, necessitating simulations and resampling to assign significance to the statistics. Additionally, it is not always clear how deviations from the specific assumptions of each method might affect the results. In this work, allelic classes of haplotypes are used along with the informational interpretation of the Price equation to design a statistic with a known distribution that can detect genomic patterns caused by selective sweeps. The statistic consists of Jeffreys divergence, also known as the population stability index, applied to the distribution of allelic classes of haplotypes in two samples. Results with simulated data show optimal performance of the statistic in detecting divergent selection. Analysis of real SARS-CoV-2 genome data also shows that some of the sites playing key roles in the virus's fitness and immune escape capability are detected by the method. The new statistic, called JHAC, is incorporated into the iHDSel software available at https://acraaj.webs.uvigo.es/iHDSel.html.