Cross-Sectional Morphology of the Femoral Neck of Wild Chimpanzees

Evolutionary Genetic Signatures of Selection on Bone-Related Variation within Human and Chimpanzee Populations

Bone strength and the incidence and severity of skeletal disorders vary significantly among human populations, due in part to underlying genetic differentiation. While clinical models predict that this variation is largely deleterious, natural population variation unrelated to disease can go unnoticed, altering our perception of how natural selection has shaped bone morphologies over deep and recent time periods. Here, we conduct the first comparative population-based genetic analysis of the main bone structural protein gene, collagen type I α 1 (COL1A1), in clinical and 1000 Genomes Project datasets in humans, and in natural populations of chimpanzees. Contrary to predictions from clinical studies, we reveal abundant COL1A1 amino acid variation, predicted to have little association with disease in the natural population. We also find signatures of positive selection associated with intron haplotype structure, linkage disequilibrium, and population differentiation in regions of known gene expression regulation in humans and chimpanzees. These results recall how recent and deep evolutionary regimes can be linked, in that bone morphology differences that developed among vertebrates over 450 million years of evolution are the result of positive selection on subtle type I collagen functional variation segregating within populations over time.

Functional integrative analysis of the human hip joint: the three-dimensional orientation of the acetabulum and its relation with the orientation of the femoral neck

In humans, the hip joint occupies a central place in the locomotor system, as it plays an important role in body support and the transmission of the forces between the trunk and lower limbs. The study of the three-dimensional biomechanics of this joint has important implications for documenting the morphological changes associated with the acquisition of a habitual bipedal gait in humans. Functional integration at any joint has important implications in joint stability and performance. The aim of the study was to evaluate the functional integration at the human hip joint. Both the level of concordance between the three-dimensional axes of the acetabulum and the femoral neck in a bipedal posture, and patterns of covariation between these two axes were analysed. First, inter-individual variations were quantified and significant differences in the three-dimensional orientations of both the acetabulum and the femoral neck were detected. On a sample of 57 individuals, significant patterns of covariation were identified, however, the level of concordance between the axes of both the acetabulum and the femoral neck in a bipedal posture was lower than could be expected for a key joint such as the hip. Patterns of covariation were explored regarding the complex three-dimensional biomechanics of the full pelvic-femoral complex. Finally, we suggest that the lower degree of concordance observed at the human hip joint in a bipedal posture might be partly due to the phylogenetic history of the human species.

A three-dimensional axis for the study of femoral neck orientation

A common problem in the quantification of the orientation of the femoral neck is the difficulty to determine its true axis; however, this axis is typically estimated visually only. Moreover, the orientation of the femoral neck is commonly analysed using angles that are dependent on anatomical planes of reference and only quantify the orientation in two dimensions. The purpose of this study is to establish a method to determine the three-dimensional orientation of the femoral neck using a three-dimensional model. An accurate determination of the femoral neck axis requires a reconsideration of the complex architecture of the proximal femur. The morphology of the femoral neck results from both the medial and arcuate trabecular systems, and the asymmetry of the cortical bone. Given these considerations, two alternative models, in addition to the cylindrical one frequently assumed, were tested. The surface geometry of the femoral neck was subsequently used to fit one cylinder, two cylinders and successive cross-sectional ellipses. The model based on successive ellipses provided a significantly smaller average deviation than the two other models (P < 0.001) and reduced the observer-induced measurement error. Comparisons with traditional measurements and analyses on a sample of 91 femora were also performed to assess the validity of the model based on successive ellipses. This study provides a semi-automatic and accurate method for the determination of the functional three-dimensional femoral neck orientation avoiding the use of a reference plane. This innovative method has important implications for future studies that aim to document and understand the change in the orientation of the femoral neck associated with the acquisition of a bipedal gait in humans. Moreover, the precise determination of the three-dimensional orientation has implications in current research involved in developing clinical applications in diagnosis, hip surgery and rehabilitation.