Figure 1.

Heritabilities and genetic correlations cannot fully distinguish models of GxSex

(A) Genetic correlations between males and females, estimated using bivariate LDSC, are shown in descending order.

(B) The x axis represents the relative heritability (i.e., the SNP heritability divided by the SNP heritability) estimated in the sample with both sexes combined. Red asterisks indicate body mass-related traits with greater heritability in both sex-specific samples compared with the sample combining both sexes. Error bars represent ± 1 SE.

(C) Polygenic models of GxSex. We examine different models of the nature of GxSex in complex traits that link to previous studies and motivations. Each model leads to different expectations from the analysis of heritability and genetic correlations (A and B). The illustrations in the third column depict examples of directions and magnitudes of genetic effects corresponding to each model. $h_m^2$, $h_f^2$, and $h^2$ denote narrow-sense heritabilities in males, females, and a combined sample, respectively.