1
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Dong P, Voloudakis G, Fullard JF, Hoffman GE, Roussos P. Convergence of the dysregulated regulome in schizophrenia with polygenic risk and evolutionarily constrained enhancers. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:782-792. [PMID: 38145985 PMCID: PMC11153027 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02370-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Enhancers play an essential role in the etiology of schizophrenia; however, the dysregulation of enhancer activity and its impact on the regulome in schizophrenia remains understudied. To address this gap in our knowledge, we assessed enhancer and gene expression in 1,382 brain samples comprising cases with schizophrenia and unaffected controls. Dysregulation of enhancer expression was concordant with changes in gene expression, and was more closely associated with schizophrenia polygenic risk, suggesting that enhancer dysregulation is proximal to the genetic etiology of the disease. Modeling the shared variance of cis-coordinated genes and enhancers revealed a gene regulatory program that was highly associated with genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia. By integrating coordinated factors with evolutionary constraints, we found that enhancers acquired during human evolution are more likely to regulate genes that are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders and, thus, hold potential as therapeutic targets. Our analysis provides a systematic view of regulome dysregulation in schizophrenia and highlights its convergence with schizophrenia polygenic risk and human-gained enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Dong
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Georgios Voloudakis
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
- Center for Precision Medicine and Translational Therapeutics, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - John F Fullard
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Gabriel E Hoffman
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
- Center for Precision Medicine and Translational Therapeutics, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
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2
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Liaw YQ. An analysis of different concepts of "identity" in the heritable genome editing debate. MEDICINE, HEALTH CARE, AND PHILOSOPHY 2024; 27:121-131. [PMID: 38189908 PMCID: PMC10904499 DOI: 10.1007/s11019-023-10189-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Human heritable genome editing (HHGE) involves editing the genes of human gametes and/or early human embryos. Whilst 'identity' is a key concept underpinning the current HHGE debate, there is a lack of inclusive analysis on different concepts of 'identity' which renders the overall debate confusing at times. This paper first contributes to reviewing the existing literature by consolidating how 'identity' has been discussed in the HHGE debate. Essentially, the discussion will reveal an ontological and empirical understanding of identity when different types of identity are involved. Here, I discuss genetic, numerical, qualitative and narrative and how each of them is relevant in the HHGE context. Secondly, given the different types of identity, the paper explores how we could navigate these different interpretations of identity in a way that promotes an inclusive and informed discussion between primary stakeholders and the general public in the HHGE debate. Here, I argue for and refine a multi-faceted concept of identity as a suitable framework for discussing the ethical and societal implications of HHGE because it not only could integrate different understandings of identity but also highlight the interconnectedness between these different understandings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Qi Liaw
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, England.
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3
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Vaill M, Kawanishi K, Varki N, Gagneux P, Varki A. Comparative physiological anthropogeny: exploring molecular underpinnings of distinctly human phenotypes. Physiol Rev 2023; 103:2171-2229. [PMID: 36603157 PMCID: PMC10151058 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00040.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogeny is a classic term encompassing transdisciplinary investigations of the origins of the human species. Comparative anthropogeny is a systematic comparison of humans and other living nonhuman hominids (so-called "great apes"), aiming to identify distinctly human features in health and disease, with the overall goal of explaining human origins. We begin with a historical perspective, briefly describing how the field progressed from the earliest evolutionary insights to the current emphasis on in-depth molecular and genomic investigations of "human-specific" biology and an increased appreciation for cultural impacts on human biology. While many such genetic differences between humans and other hominids have been revealed over the last two decades, this information remains insufficient to explain the most distinctive phenotypic traits distinguishing humans from other living hominids. Here we undertake a complementary approach of "comparative physiological anthropogeny," along the lines of the preclinical medical curriculum, i.e., beginning with anatomy and considering each physiological system and in each case considering genetic and molecular components that are relevant. What is ultimately needed is a systematic comparative approach at all levels from molecular to physiological to sociocultural, building networks of related information, drawing inferences, and generating testable hypotheses. The concluding section will touch on distinctive considerations in the study of human evolution, including the importance of gene-culture interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Vaill
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Kunio Kawanishi
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Nissi Varki
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Pascal Gagneux
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Ajit Varki
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
- Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
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4
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Albert EA, Kondratieva OA, Baranova EE, Sagaydak OV, Belenikin MS, Zobkova GY, Kuznetsova ES, Deviatkin AA, Zhurov AA, Karpulevich EA, Volchkov PY, Vorontsova MV. Transferability of the PRS estimates for height and BMI obtained from the European ethnic groups to the Western Russian populations. Front Genet 2023; 14:1086709. [PMID: 36726807 PMCID: PMC9885218 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1086709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic data plays an increasingly important role in modern medicine. Decrease in the cost of sequencing with subsequent increase in imputation accuracy, and the accumulation of large amounts of high-quality genetic data enable the creation of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) to perform genotype-phenotype associations. The accuracy of phenotype prediction primarily depends on the overall trait heritability, Genome-wide association studies cohort size, and the similarity of genetic background between the base and the target cohort. Here we utilized 8,664 high coverage genomic samples collected across Russia by "Evogen", a Russian biomedical company, to evaluate the predictive power of PRSs based on summary statistics established on cohorts of European ancestry for basic phenotypic traits, namely height and BMI. We have demonstrated that the PRSs calculated for selected traits in three distinct Russian populations, recapitulate the predictive power from the original studies. This is evidence that GWAS summary statistics calculated on cohorts of European ancestry are transferable onto at least some ethnic groups in Russia.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. A. Albert
- National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology, Moscow, Russia,Life Sciences Research Center, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia,*Correspondence: E. A. Albert,
| | - O. A. Kondratieva
- Department of Information Systems, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | | | | | | | - A. A. Deviatkin
- National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology, Moscow, Russia,Life Sciences Research Center, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
| | - A. A. Zhurov
- National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology, Moscow, Russia
| | - E. A. Karpulevich
- Department of Information Systems, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - P. Y. Volchkov
- National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology, Moscow, Russia,Life Sciences Research Center, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
| | - M. V. Vorontsova
- National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology, Moscow, Russia
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5
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de March CA, Matsunami H, Abe M, Cobb M, Hoover KC. Genetic and functional odorant receptor variation in the Homo lineage. iScience 2022; 26:105908. [PMID: 36691623 PMCID: PMC9860384 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans independently adapted to a wide range of geographic environments and their associated food odors. Using ancient DNA sequences, we explored the in vitro function of thirty odorant receptor genes in the genus Homo. Our extinct relatives had highly conserved olfactory receptor sequence, but humans did not. Variations in odorant receptor protein sequence and structure may have produced variation in odor detection and perception. Variants led to minimal changes in specificity but had more influence on functional sensitivity. The few Neanderthal variants disturbed function, whereas Denisovan variants increased sensitivity to sweet and sulfur odors. Geographic adaptations may have produced greater functional variation in our lineage, increasing our olfactory repertoire and expanding our adaptive capacity. Our survey of olfactory genes and odorant receptors suggests that our genus has a shared repertoire with possible local ecological adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire A. de March
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR2301 CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette 91190, France,Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Department of Neurobiology, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Corresponding author
| | - Hiroaki Matsunami
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Department of Neurobiology, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Masashi Abe
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Matthew Cobb
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Kara C. Hoover
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA,Corresponding author
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6
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Zug R, Uller T. Evolution and dysfunction of human cognitive and social traits: A transcriptional regulation perspective. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e43. [PMID: 37588924 PMCID: PMC10426018 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary changes in brain and craniofacial development have endowed humans with unique cognitive and social skills, but also predisposed us to debilitating disorders in which these traits are disrupted. What are the developmental genetic underpinnings that connect the adaptive evolution of our cognition and sociality with the persistence of mental disorders with severe negative fitness effects? We argue that loss of function of genes involved in transcriptional regulation represents a crucial link between the evolution and dysfunction of human cognitive and social traits. The argument is based on the haploinsufficiency of many transcriptional regulator genes, which makes them particularly sensitive to loss-of-function mutations. We discuss how human brain and craniofacial traits evolved through partial loss of function (i.e. reduced expression) of these genes, a perspective compatible with the idea of human self-domestication. Moreover, we explain why selection against loss-of-function variants supports the view that mutation-selection-drift, rather than balancing selection, underlies the persistence of psychiatric disorders. Finally, we discuss testable predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Zug
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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7
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OUP accepted manuscript. Hum Reprod Update 2022; 28:457-479. [DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmac014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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8
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Wang Y, Zhao B, Choi J, Lee EA. Genomic approaches to trace the history of human brain evolution with an emerging opportunity for transposon profiling of ancient humans. Mob DNA 2021; 12:22. [PMID: 34663455 PMCID: PMC8525043 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-021-00250-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) significantly contribute to shaping the diversity of the human genome, and lines of evidence suggest TEs as one of driving forces of human brain evolution. Existing computational approaches, including cross-species comparative genomics and population genetic modeling, can be adapted for the study of the role of TEs in evolution. In particular, diverse ancient and archaic human genome sequences are increasingly available, allowing reconstruction of past human migration events and holding the promise of identifying and tracking TEs among other evolutionarily important genetic variants at an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. However, highly degraded short DNA templates and other unique challenges presented by ancient human DNA call for major changes in current experimental and computational procedures to enable the identification of evolutionarily important TEs. Ancient human genomes are valuable resources for investigating TEs in the evolutionary context, and efforts to explore ancient human genomes will potentially provide a novel perspective on the genetic mechanism of human brain evolution and inspire a variety of technological and methodological advances. In this review, we summarize computational and experimental approaches that can be adapted to identify and validate evolutionarily important TEs, especially for human brain evolution. We also highlight strategies that leverage ancient genomic data and discuss unique challenges in ancient transposon genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilan Wang
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Boxun Zhao
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jaejoon Choi
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eunjung Alice Lee
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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9
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Berto S, Liu Y, Konopka G. Genomics at cellular resolution: insights into cognitive disorders and their evolution. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 29:R1-R9. [PMID: 32566943 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
High-throughput genomic sequencing approaches have held the promise of understanding and ultimately leading to treatments for cognitive disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. Although significant progress has been made into identifying genetic variants associated with these diseases, these studies have also uncovered that these disorders are mostly genetically complex and thus challenging to model in non-human systems. Improvements in such models might benefit from understanding the evolution of the human genome and how such modifications have affected brain development and function. The intersection of genome-wide variant information with cell-type-specific expression and epigenetic information will further assist in resolving the contribution of particular cell types in evolution or disease. For example, the role of non-neuronal cells in brain evolution and cognitive disorders has gone mostly underappreciated until the recent availability of single-cell transcriptomic approaches. In this review, we discuss recent studies that carry out cell-type-specific assessments of gene expression in brain tissue across primates and between healthy and disease populations. The emerging results from these studies are beginning to elucidate how specific cell types in the evolved human brain are contributing to cognitive disorders.
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10
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Caldu-Primo JL, Verduzco-Martínez JA, Alvarez-Buylla ER, Davila-Velderrain J. In vivo and in vitro human gene essentiality estimations capture contrasting functional constraints. NAR Genom Bioinform 2021; 3:lqab063. [PMID: 34268495 PMCID: PMC8276763 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqab063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene essentiality estimation is a popular empirical approach to link genotypes to phenotypes. In humans, essentiality is estimated based on loss-of-function (LoF) mutation intolerance, either from population exome sequencing (in vivo) data or CRISPR-based in vitro perturbation experiments. Both approaches identify genes presumed to have detrimental consequences on the organism upon mutation. Are these genes constrained by having key cellular/organismal roles? Do in vivo and in vitro estimations equally recover these constraints? Insights into these questions have important implications in generalizing observations from cell models and interpreting disease risk genes. To empirically address these questions, we integrate genome-scale datasets and compare structural, functional and evolutionary features of essential genes versus genes with extremely high mutational tolerance. We found that essentiality estimates do recover functional constraints. However, the organismal or cellular context of estimation leads to functionally contrasting properties underlying the constraint. Our results suggest that depletion of LoF mutations in human populations effectively captures organismal-level functional constraints not experimentally accessible through CRISPR-based screens. Finally, we identify a set of genes (OrgEssential), which are mutationally intolerant in vivo but highly tolerant in vitro. These genes drive observed functional constraint differences and have an unexpected preference for nervous system expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Luis Caldu-Primo
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, CDMX., 04510, México
| | - Jorge Armando Verduzco-Martínez
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Genética, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León, 66400, México
| | - Elena R Alvarez-Buylla
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, CDMX., 04510, México
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11
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Page AE, Emmott EH, Myers S. Testing the buffering hypothesis: Breastfeeding problems, cessation, and social support in the UK. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 34:e23621. [PMID: 34056792 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Physical breastfeeding problems can lead women to terminate breastfeeding earlier than planned. In high-income countries such as the UK, breastfeeding problems have been attributed to the cultural and individual "inexperience" of breastfeeding, ultimately leading to lower breastfeeding rates. Yet, cross-cultural evidence suggests breastfeeding problems still occur in contexts where breastfeeding is common, prolonged, and seen publicly. This suggests breastfeeding problems are not unusual and do not necessarily lead to breastfeeding cessation. As humans evolved to raise children cooperatively, what matters for breastfeeding continuation may be the availability of social support during the postnatal period. Here, we test the hypothesis that social support buffers mothers from the negative impact breastfeeding problems have on duration. METHODS We run Cox models on a sample of 565 UK mothers who completed a retrospective online survey about infant feeding and social support in 2017-2018. RESULTS Breastfeeding problems were important predictors of cessation; however, the direction of the effect was dependent on the problem type and type of support from a range of supporters. Helpful support for discomfort issues (blocked ducts, too much milk) was significantly associated with reduced hazards of cessation, as predicted. However, helpful support for reported milk insufficiency was assoicated with an increased hazard of cessation. CONCLUSIONS Experiencing breastfeeding problems is the norm, but its impact may be mitigated via social support. Working from an interdisciplinary approach, our results highlight that a wide range of supporters who provide different types of support have potential to influence maternal breastfeeding experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail E Page
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emily H Emmott
- UCL Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Myers
- UCL Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,BirthRites Independent Max Planck Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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12
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Jovanovic VM, Sarfert M, Reyna-Blanco CS, Indrischek H, Valdivia DI, Shelest E, Nowick K. Positive Selection in Gene Regulatory Factors Suggests Adaptive Pleiotropic Changes During Human Evolution. Front Genet 2021; 12:662239. [PMID: 34079582 PMCID: PMC8166252 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.662239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene regulatory factors (GRFs), such as transcription factors, co-factors and histone-modifying enzymes, play many important roles in modifying gene expression in biological processes. They have also been proposed to underlie speciation and adaptation. To investigate potential contributions of GRFs to primate evolution, we analyzed GRF genes in 27 publicly available primate genomes. Genes coding for zinc finger (ZNF) proteins, especially ZNFs with a Krüppel-associated box (KRAB) domain were the most abundant TFs in all genomes. Gene numbers per TF family differed between all species. To detect signs of positive selection in GRF genes we investigated more than 3,000 human GRFs with their more than 70,000 orthologs in 26 non-human primates. We implemented two independent tests for positive selection, the branch-site-model of the PAML suite and aBSREL of the HyPhy suite, focusing on the human and great ape branch. Our workflow included rigorous procedures to reduce the number of false positives: excluding distantly similar orthologs, manual corrections of alignments, and considering only genes and sites detected by both tests for positive selection. Furthermore, we verified the candidate sites for selection by investigating their variation within human and non-human great ape population data. In order to approximately assign a date to positively selected sites in the human lineage, we analyzed archaic human genomes. Our work revealed with high confidence five GRFs that have been positively selected on the human lineage and one GRF that has been positively selected on the great ape lineage. These GRFs are scattered on different chromosomes and have been previously linked to diverse functions. For some of them a role in speciation and/or adaptation can be proposed based on the expression pattern or association with human diseases, but it seems that they all contributed independently to human evolution. Four of the positively selected GRFs are KRAB-ZNF proteins, that induce changes in target genes co-expression and/or through arms race with transposable elements. Since each positively selected GRF contains several sites with evidence for positive selection, we suggest that these GRFs participated pleiotropically to phenotypic adaptations in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir M Jovanovic
- Human Biology and Primate Evolution, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Bioinformatics Solution Center, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Melanie Sarfert
- Human Biology and Primate Evolution, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carlos S Reyna-Blanco
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Henrike Indrischek
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany.,Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Dulce I Valdivia
- Evolutionary Genomics Laboratory and Genome Topology and Regulation Laboratory, Genetic Engineering Department, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV-Irapuato), Irapuato, Mexico
| | - Ekaterina Shelest
- Centre for Enzyme Innovation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Katja Nowick
- Human Biology and Primate Evolution, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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13
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Abstract
DNA methylation is a critical regulatory mechanism implicated in development, learning, memory, and disease in the human brain. Here we have elucidated DNA methylation changes during recent human brain evolution. We demonstrate dynamic evolutionary trajectories of DNA methylation in cell-type and cytosine-context specific manner. Specifically, DNA methylation in non-CG context, namely CH methylation, has increased (hypermethylation) in neuronal gene bodies during human brain evolution, contributing to human-specific down-regulation of genes and co-expression modules. The effects of CH hypermethylation is particularly pronounced in early development and neuronal subtypes. In contrast, DNA methylation in CG context shows pronounced reduction (hypomethylation) in human brains, notably in cis-regulatory regions, leading to upregulation of downstream genes. We show that the majority of differential CG methylation between neurons and oligodendrocytes originated before the divergence of hominoids and catarrhine monkeys, and harbors strong signal for genetic risk for schizophrenia. Remarkably, a substantial portion of differential CG methylation between neurons and oligodendrocytes emerged in the human lineage since the divergence from the chimpanzee lineage and carries significant genetic risk for schizophrenia. Therefore, recent epigenetic evolution of human cortex has shaped the cellular regulatory landscape and contributed to the increased vulnerability to neuropsychiatric diseases.
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14
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Dumas G, Malesys S, Bourgeron T. Systematic detection of brain protein-coding genes under positive selection during primate evolution and their roles in cognition. Genome Res 2021; 31:484-496. [PMID: 33441416 PMCID: PMC7919455 DOI: 10.1101/gr.262113.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The human brain differs from that of other primates, but the genetic basis of these differences remains unclear. We investigated the evolutionary pressures acting on almost all human protein-coding genes (N = 11,667; 1:1 orthologs in primates) based on their divergence from those of early hominins, such as Neanderthals, and non-human primates. We confirm that genes encoding brain-related proteins are among the most strongly conserved protein-coding genes in the human genome. Combining our evolutionary pressure metrics for the protein-coding genome with recent data sets, we found that this conservation applied to genes functionally associated with the synapse and expressed in brain structures such as the prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum. Conversely, several genes presenting signatures commonly associated with positive selection appear as causing brain diseases or conditions, such as micro/macrocephaly, Joubert syndrome, dyslexia, and autism. Among those, a number of DNA damage response genes associated with microcephaly in humans such as BRCA1, NHEJ1, TOP3A, and RNF168 show strong signs of positive selection and might have played a role in human brain size expansion during primate evolution. We also showed that cerebellum granule neurons express a set of genes also presenting signatures of positive selection and that may have contributed to the emergence of fine motor skills and social cognition in humans. This resource is available online and can be used to estimate evolutionary constraints acting on a set of genes and to explore their relative contributions to human traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Dumas
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris 75015, France
- Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montreal, CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal H3T 1C5, Quebec, Canada
| | - Simon Malesys
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris 75015, France
| | - Thomas Bourgeron
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris 75015, France
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15
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Pembroke WG, Hartl CL, Geschwind DH. Evolutionary conservation and divergence of the human brain transcriptome. Genome Biol 2021; 22:52. [PMID: 33514394 PMCID: PMC7844938 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-02257-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mouse models have allowed for the direct interrogation of genetic effects on molecular, physiological, and behavioral brain phenotypes. However, it is unknown to what extent neurological or psychiatric traits may be human- or primate-specific and therefore which components can be faithfully recapitulated in mouse models. Results We compare conservation of co-expression in 116 independent data sets derived from human, mouse, and non-human primate representing more than 15,000 total samples. We observe greater changes occurring on the human lineage than mouse, and substantial regional variation that highlights cerebral cortex as the most diverged region. Glia, notably microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes are the most divergent cell type, three times more on average than neurons. We show that cis-regulatory sequence divergence explains a significant fraction of co-expression divergence. Moreover, protein coding sequence constraint parallels co-expression conservation, such that genes with loss of function intolerance are enriched in neuronal, rather than glial modules. We identify dozens of human neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disease risk genes, such as COMT, PSEN-1, LRRK2, SHANK3, and SNCA, with highly divergent co-expression between mouse and human and show that 3D human brain organoids recapitulate in vivo co-expression modules representing several human cell types. Conclusions We identify robust co-expression modules reflecting whole-brain and regional patterns of gene expression. Compared with those that represent basic metabolic processes, cell-type-specific modules, most prominently glial modules, are the most divergent between species. These data and analyses serve as a foundational resource to guide human disease modeling and its interpretation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13059-020-02257-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- William G Pembroke
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christopher L Hartl
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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16
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Endo S, Motomura K, Tsuhako M, Kakazu Y, Nakamura M, M. Otaki J. Search for Human-Specific Proteins Based on Availability Scores of Short Constituent Sequences: Identification of a WRWSH Protein in Human Testis. Comput Biol Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.89653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about protein sequences unique in humans. Here, we performed alignment-free sequence comparisons based on the availability (frequency bias) of short constituent amino acid (aa) sequences (SCSs) in proteins to search for human-specific proteins. Focusing on 5-aa SCSs (pentats), exhaustive comparisons of availability scores among the human proteome and other nine mammalian proteomes in the nonredundant (nr) database identified a candidate protein containing WRWSH, here called FAM75, as human-specific. Examination of various human genome sequences revealed that FAM75 had genomic DNA sequences for either WRWSH or WRWSR due to a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). FAM75 and its related protein FAM205A were found to be produced through alternative splicing. The FAM75 transcript was found only in humans, but the FAM205A transcript was also present in other mammals. In humans, both FAM75 and FAM205A were expressed specifically in testis at the mRNA level, and they were immunohistochemically located in cells in seminiferous ducts and in acrosomes in spermatids at the protein level, suggesting their possible function in sperm development and fertilization. This study highlights a practical application of SCS-based methods for protein searches and suggests possible contributions of SNP variants and alternative splicing of FAM75 to human evolution.
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17
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Abstract
The study of ancient genomes has burgeoned at an incredible rate in the last decade. The result is a shift in archaeological narratives, bringing with it a fierce debate on the place of genetics in anthropological research. Archaeogenomics has challenged and scrutinized fundamental themes of anthropological research, including human origins, movement of ancient and modern populations, the role of social organization in shaping material culture, and the relationship between culture, language, and ancestry. Moreover, the discussion has inevitably invoked new debates on indigenous rights, ownership of ancient materials, inclusion in the scientific process, and even the meaning of what it is to be a human. We argue that the broad and seemingly daunting ethical, methodological, and theoretical challenges posed by archaeogenomics, in fact, represent the very cutting edge of social science research. Here, we provide a general review of the field by introducing the contemporary discussion points and summarizing methodological and ethical concerns, while highlighting the exciting possibilities of ancient genome studies in archaeology from an anthropological perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omer Gokcumen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14221, USA
| | - Michael Frachetti
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
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18
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Pattabiraman K, Muchnik SK, Sestan N. The evolution of the human brain and disease susceptibility. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2020; 65:91-97. [PMID: 32629339 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary perspective is critical for understanding human biology, human medicine, and the traits that make human beings unique. One of the crucial characteristics that sets humans apart from other extant species is our cognitive ability, which allows for complex processes including symbolic thought, theory of mind, and syntactical-grammatical language, and is thought to arise from the expansion and specialization of the human nervous system. It has been hypothesized that the same evolutionary changes that allowed us to develop these valuable skills made humans susceptible to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease. Unfortunately, our lack of access to our extinct ancestors makes this a difficult hypothesis to test, but recent collaborations between the fields of evolution, genetics, genomics, neuroscience, neurology and psychiatry have begun to provide some clues. Here, we will outline recent work in those fields that have utilized our growing knowledge of disease risk genes and loci, identified by wide-scale genetic studies, and nervous system development and function to draw conclusions about the impact of human-specific aspects of evolution. We will discuss studies that assess evolution at a variety of scales including at the levels of whole brain regions, cell types, synapses, metabolic processes, gene expression patterns, and gene regulation. At all of these levels, there is preliminary evidence that human-specific brain features are linked to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kartik Pattabiraman
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Sydney Keaton Muchnik
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Nenad Sestan
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Comparative Medicine, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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19
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Wang W, Wang GZ. Twin-peak temporal regulation during human neocortical development. Cell Discov 2019; 5:61. [PMID: 31871735 PMCID: PMC6915741 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-019-0129-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the temporal and spatial expression patterns of the human cerebral cortex is essential for expanding knowledge of its functionality. Previous analysis focused on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among cortical subregions revealed an hourglass model for interareal differences. However, the overall pattern of transcriptional differences during the development of every region remains to be fully explored. Here, analysing more than 800 neocortex samples from lifespan transcriptional profiles revealed that excitatory neurons are more regulated than inhibitory neurons in the foetal brain. Developmental DEGs tend to be resting state or memory encoding-related and are also involved in autism and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, twin peaks of DEGs occur during the development of each neocortex region, with a first peak appearing in the perinatal period and an unexpected second peak appearing around childhood. Genes in these peaks have similar functions, but the second peak is more inhibitory neuron related. All these results emphasize the significance of this unique temporal regulatory pattern for human neocortical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031 China
| | - Guang-Zhong Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031 China
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20
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An Evolutionary Perspective on the Impact of Genomic Copy Number Variation on Human Health. J Mol Evol 2019; 88:104-119. [PMID: 31522275 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-019-09911-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Copy number variants (CNVs), deletions and duplications of segments of DNA, account for at least five times more variable base pairs in humans than single-nucleotide variants. Several common CNVs were shown to change coding and regulatory sequences and thus dramatically affect adaptive phenotypes involving immunity, perception, metabolism, skin structure, among others. Some of these CNVs were also associated with susceptibility to cancer, infection, and metabolic disorders. These observations raise the possibility that CNVs are a primary contributor to human phenotypic variation and consequently evolve under selective pressures. Indeed, locus-specific haplotype-level analyses revealed signatures of natural selection on several CNVs. However, more traditional tests of selection which are often applied to single-nucleotide variation often have diminished statistical power when applied to CNVs because they often do not show strong linkage disequilibrium with nearby variants. Recombination-based formation mechanisms of CNVs lead to frequent recurrence and gene conversion events, breaking the linkage disequilibrium involving CNVs. Similar methodological challenges also prevent routine genome-wide association studies to adequately investigate the impact of CNVs on heritable human disease. Thus, we argue that the full relevance of CNVs to human health and evolution is yet to be elucidated. We further argue that a holistic investigation of formation mechanisms within an evolutionary framework would provide a powerful framework to understand the functional and biomedical impact of CNVs. In this paper, we review several cases where studies reveal diverse evolutionary histories and unexpected functional consequences of CNVs. We hope that this review will encourage further work on CNVs by both evolutionary and medical geneticists.
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21
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Lin YL, Gokcumen O. Fine-Scale Characterization of Genomic Structural Variation in the Human Genome Reveals Adaptive and Biomedically Relevant Hotspots. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:1136-1151. [PMID: 30887040 PMCID: PMC6475128 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic structural variants (SVs) are distributed nonrandomly across the human genome. The "hotspots" of SVs have been implicated in evolutionary innovations, as well as medical conditions. However, the evolutionary and biomedical features of these hotspots remain incompletely understood. Here, we analyzed data from 2,504 genomes to construct a refined map of 1,148 SV hotspots in human genomes. We confirmed that segmental duplication-related nonallelic homologous recombination is an important mechanistic driver of SV hotspot formation. However, to our surprise, we also found that a majority of SVs in hotspots do not form through such recombination-based mechanisms, suggesting diverse mechanistic and selective forces shaping hotspots. Indeed, our evolutionary analyses showed that the majority of SV hotspots are within gene-poor regions and evolve under relaxed negative selection or neutrality. However, we still found a small subset of SV hotspots harboring genes that are enriched for anthropologically crucial functions and evolve under geography-specific and balancing adaptive forces. These include two independent hotspots on different chromosomes affecting alpha and beta hemoglobin gene clusters. Biomedically, we found that the SV hotspots coincide with breakpoints of clinically relevant, large de novo SVs, significantly more often than genome-wide expectations. For example, we showed that the breakpoints of multiple large SVs, which lead to idiopathic short stature, coincide with SV hotspots. Therefore, the mutational instability in SV hotpots likely enables chromosomal breaks that lead to pathogenic structural variation formations. Overall, our study contributes to a better understanding of the mutational and adaptive landscape of the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen-Lung Lin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo
| | - Omer Gokcumen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo
- Corresponding author: E-mail: or
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22
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Guelfi S, Botia JA, Thom M, Ramasamy A, Perona M, Stanyer L, Martinian L, Trabzuni D, Smith C, Walker R, Ryten M, Reimers M, Weale ME, Hardy J, Matarin M. Transcriptomic and genetic analyses reveal potential causal drivers for intractable partial epilepsy. Brain 2019; 142:1616-1630. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Guelfi
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Juan A. Botia
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
- Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las Comunicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria Thom
- Division of Neuropathology, UCL Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | | | - Marina Perona
- Department of Radiobiology (CAC), National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Lee Stanyer
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Lillian Martinian
- Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las Comunicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Daniah Trabzuni
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Colin Smith
- Academic Department of Neuropathology, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Robert Walker
- Academic Department of Neuropathology, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Mina Ryten
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Mark Reimers
- Neuroscience Program and Biomedical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Michael E. Weale
- Department Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - John Hardy
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Mar Matarin
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3, UK
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23
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Did Human Reality Denial Breach the Evolutionary Psychological Barrier of Mortality Salience? A Theory that Can Explain Unusual Features of the Origin and Fate of Our Species. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-25466-7_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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24
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d’Errico F, Colagè I. Cultural Exaptation and Cultural Neural Reuse: A Mechanism for the Emergence of Modern Culture and Behavior. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s13752-018-0306-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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25
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Colagè I, d'Errico F. Culture: The Driving Force of Human Cognition. Top Cogn Sci 2018; 12:654-672. [DOI: 10.1111/tops.12372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Colagè
- Faculty of Philosophy Pontifical Antonianum University
- DISF Centre Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
| | - Francesco d'Errico
- UMR‐CNRS 5199 de la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA) Université de Bordeaux
- SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE) University of Bergen
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26
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Kronenberg ZN, Fiddes IT, Gordon D, Murali S, Cantsilieris S, Meyerson OS, Underwood JG, Nelson BJ, Chaisson MJP, Dougherty ML, Munson KM, Hastie AR, Diekhans M, Hormozdiari F, Lorusso N, Hoekzema K, Qiu R, Clark K, Raja A, Welch AE, Sorensen M, Baker C, Fulton RS, Armstrong J, Graves-Lindsay TA, Denli AM, Hoppe ER, Hsieh P, Hill CM, Pang AWC, Lee J, Lam ET, Dutcher SK, Gage FH, Warren WC, Shendure J, Haussler D, Schneider VA, Cao H, Ventura M, Wilson RK, Paten B, Pollen A, Eichler EE. High-resolution comparative analysis of great ape genomes. Science 2018; 360:eaar6343. [PMID: 29880660 PMCID: PMC6178954 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar6343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Genetic studies of human evolution require high-quality contiguous ape genome assemblies that are not guided by the human reference. We coupled long-read sequence assembly and full-length complementary DNA sequencing with a multiplatform scaffolding approach to produce ab initio chimpanzee and orangutan genome assemblies. By comparing these with two long-read de novo human genome assemblies and a gorilla genome assembly, we characterized lineage-specific and shared great ape genetic variation ranging from single- to mega-base pair-sized variants. We identified ~17,000 fixed human-specific structural variants identifying genic and putative regulatory changes that have emerged in humans since divergence from nonhuman apes. Interestingly, these variants are enriched near genes that are down-regulated in human compared to chimpanzee cerebral organoids, particularly in cells analogous to radial glial neural progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zev N Kronenberg
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Ian T Fiddes
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - David Gordon
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Shwetha Murali
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Stuart Cantsilieris
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Olivia S Meyerson
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jason G Underwood
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) of California, Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Bradley J Nelson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mark J P Chaisson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Max L Dougherty
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Katherine M Munson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | | | - Mark Diekhans
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Fereydoun Hormozdiari
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95817, USA
| | - Nicola Lorusso
- Department of Biology, University of Bari, Aldo Moro, Bari 70121, Italy
| | - Kendra Hoekzema
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Ruolan Qiu
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Karen Clark
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Archana Raja
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - AnneMarie E Welch
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Melanie Sorensen
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Carl Baker
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Robert S Fulton
- Departments of Medicine and Genetics, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Joel Armstrong
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Tina A Graves-Lindsay
- Departments of Medicine and Genetics, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Ahmet M Denli
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Emma R Hoppe
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - PingHsun Hsieh
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Christopher M Hill
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | | | - Joyce Lee
- Bionano Genomics, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | | | - Susan K Dutcher
- Departments of Medicine and Genetics, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Fred H Gage
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Wesley C Warren
- Departments of Medicine and Genetics, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Jay Shendure
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David Haussler
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Valerie A Schneider
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Han Cao
- Bionano Genomics, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Mario Ventura
- Department of Biology, University of Bari, Aldo Moro, Bari 70121, Italy
| | - Richard K Wilson
- Departments of Medicine and Genetics, McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Benedict Paten
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Alex Pollen
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Evan E Eichler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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27
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The chromatin basis of neurodevelopmental disorders: Rethinking dysfunction along the molecular and temporal axes. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 84:306-327. [PMID: 29309830 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The complexity of the human brain emerges from a long and finely tuned developmental process orchestrated by the crosstalk between genome and environment. Vis à vis other species, the human brain displays unique functional and morphological features that result from this extensive developmental process that is, unsurprisingly, highly vulnerable to both genetically and environmentally induced alterations. One of the most striking outcomes of the recent surge of sequencing-based studies on neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) is the emergence of chromatin regulation as one of the two domains most affected by causative mutations or Copy Number Variations besides synaptic function, whose involvement had been largely predicted for obvious reasons. These observations place chromatin dysfunction at the top of the molecular pathways hierarchy that ushers in a sizeable proportion of NDDs and that manifest themselves through synaptic dysfunction and recurrent systemic clinical manifestation. Here we undertake a conceptual investigation of chromatin dysfunction in NDDs with the aim of systematizing the available evidence in a new framework: first, we tease out the developmental vulnerabilities in human corticogenesis as a structuring entry point into the causation of NDDs; second, we provide a much needed clarification of the multiple meanings and explanatory frameworks revolving around "epigenetics", highlighting those that are most relevant for the analysis of these disorders; finally we go in-depth into paradigmatic examples of NDD-causing chromatin dysregulation, with a special focus on human experimental models and datasets.
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Fiddes IT, Lodewijk GA, Mooring M, Bosworth CM, Ewing AD, Mantalas GL, Novak AM, van den Bout A, Bishara A, Rosenkrantz JL, Lorig-Roach R, Field AR, Haeussler M, Russo L, Bhaduri A, Nowakowski TJ, Pollen AA, Dougherty ML, Nuttle X, Addor MC, Zwolinski S, Katzman S, Kriegstein A, Eichler EE, Salama SR, Jacobs FMJ, Haussler D. Human-Specific NOTCH2NL Genes Affect Notch Signaling and Cortical Neurogenesis. Cell 2018; 173:1356-1369.e22. [PMID: 29856954 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.03.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 311] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genetic changes causing brain size expansion in human evolution have remained elusive. Notch signaling is essential for radial glia stem cell proliferation and is a determinant of neuronal number in the mammalian cortex. We find that three paralogs of human-specific NOTCH2NL are highly expressed in radial glia. Functional analysis reveals that different alleles of NOTCH2NL have varying potencies to enhance Notch signaling by interacting directly with NOTCH receptors. Consistent with a role in Notch signaling, NOTCH2NL ectopic expression delays differentiation of neuronal progenitors, while deletion accelerates differentiation into cortical neurons. Furthermore, NOTCH2NL genes provide the breakpoints in 1q21.1 distal deletion/duplication syndrome, where duplications are associated with macrocephaly and autism and deletions with microcephaly and schizophrenia. Thus, the emergence of human-specific NOTCH2NL genes may have contributed to the rapid evolution of the larger human neocortex, accompanied by loss of genomic stability at the 1q21.1 locus and resulting recurrent neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian T Fiddes
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Gerrald A Lodewijk
- University of Amsterdam, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Adam D Ewing
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Gary L Mantalas
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology Department, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Adam M Novak
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Anouk van den Bout
- University of Amsterdam, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Alex Bishara
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jimi L Rosenkrantz
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | - Andrew R Field
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology Department, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | | | - Lotte Russo
- University of Amsterdam, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Aparna Bhaduri
- Department of Neurology and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Tomasz J Nowakowski
- Department of Neurology and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alex A Pollen
- Department of Neurology and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Max L Dougherty
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xander Nuttle
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics and Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Simon Zwolinski
- Department of Cytogenetics, Northern Genetics Service, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Sol Katzman
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Arnold Kriegstein
- Department of Neurology and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Evan E Eichler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sofie R Salama
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Frank M J Jacobs
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; University of Amsterdam, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - David Haussler
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
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Human-Specific NOTCH2NL Genes Expand Cortical Neurogenesis through Delta/Notch Regulation. Cell 2018; 173:1370-1384.e16. [PMID: 29856955 PMCID: PMC6092419 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.03.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 243] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The cerebral cortex underwent rapid expansion and increased complexity during recent hominid evolution. Gene duplications constitute a major evolutionary force, but their impact on human brain development remains unclear. Using tailored RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we profiled the spatial and temporal expression of hominid-specific duplicated (HS) genes in the human fetal cortex and identified a repertoire of 35 HS genes displaying robust and dynamic patterns during cortical neurogenesis. Among them NOTCH2NL, human-specific paralogs of the NOTCH2 receptor, stood out for their ability to promote cortical progenitor maintenance. NOTCH2NL promote the clonal expansion of human cortical progenitors, ultimately leading to higher neuronal output. At the molecular level, NOTCH2NL function by activating the Notch pathway through inhibition of cis Delta/Notch interactions. Our study uncovers a large repertoire of recently evolved genes active during human corticogenesis and reveals how human-specific NOTCH paralogs may have contributed to the expansion of the human cortex. Identification of >35 HS protein-coding genes expressed during human corticogenesis NOTCH2NL human-specific paralogs of NOTCH2 expressed in human cortical progenitors NOTCH2NL genes expand human cortical progenitors and their neuronal output NOTCH2NL promotes Notch signaling through cis-inhibition of Delta/Notch interactions
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Abstract
Understanding the development of the human brain in relation with evolution is an important frontier field in developmental biology. In particular, investigating the mechanisms underlying the greatly increased relative size and complexity of the cerebral cortex, the seat of our enhanced cognitive abilities, remains a fascinating yet largely unsolved question. Though many advances in our understanding have been gained from the study of animal models, as well as human genetics and embryology, large gaps remain in our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that control human cortical development. Interestingly, many aspects of corticogenesis can be recapitulated in vitro from mouse and human embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), using a variety of experimental systems from 2D models to organoids to xenotransplantation. This has provided the opportunity to study these processes in an accessible and physiologically relevant setting. In this chapter, we will discuss how conserved and divergent features of primate/human corticogenesis can be modeled and studied mechanistically using PSC-based models of corticogenesis. We will also review what has been learned through these approaches about pathological defects of human corticogenesis, from early neurogenesis to late neuronal maturation and connectivity.
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de la Torre-Ubieta L, Stein JL, Won H, Opland CK, Liang D, Lu D, Geschwind DH. The Dynamic Landscape of Open Chromatin during Human Cortical Neurogenesis. Cell 2018; 172:289-304.e18. [PMID: 29307494 PMCID: PMC5924568 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Non-coding regions comprise most of the human genome and harbor a significant fraction of risk alleles for neuropsychiatric diseases, yet their functions remain poorly defined. We created a high-resolution map of non-coding elements involved in human cortical neurogenesis by contrasting chromatin accessibility and gene expression in the germinal zone and cortical plate of the developing cerebral cortex. We link distal regulatory elements (DREs) to their cognate gene(s) together with chromatin interaction data and show that target genes of human-gained enhancers (HGEs) regulate cortical neurogenesis and are enriched in outer radial glia, a cell type linked to human cortical evolution. We experimentally validate the regulatory effects of predicted enhancers for FGFR2 and EOMES. We observe that common genetic variants associated with educational attainment, risk for neuropsychiatric disease, and intracranial volume are enriched within regulatory elements involved in cortical neurogenesis, demonstrating the importance of this early developmental process for adult human cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis de la Torre-Ubieta
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jason L Stein
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Hyejung Won
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Carli K Opland
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Dan Liang
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Daning Lu
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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Peyrégne S, Boyle MJ, Dannemann M, Prüfer K. Detecting ancient positive selection in humans using extended lineage sorting. Genome Res 2017; 27:1563-1572. [PMID: 28720580 PMCID: PMC5580715 DOI: 10.1101/gr.219493.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Natural selection that affected modern humans early in their evolution has likely shaped some of the traits that set present-day humans apart from their closest extinct and living relatives. The ability to detect ancient natural selection in the human genome could provide insights into the molecular basis for these human-specific traits. Here, we introduce a method for detecting ancient selective sweeps by scanning for extended genomic regions where our closest extinct relatives, Neandertals and Denisovans, fall outside of the present-day human variation. Regions that are unusually long indicate the presence of lineages that reached fixation in the human population faster than expected under neutral evolution. Using simulations, we show that the method is able to detect ancient events of positive selection and that it can differentiate those from background selection. Applying our method to the 1000 Genomes data set, we find evidence for ancient selective sweeps favoring regulatory changes and present a list of genomic regions that are predicted to underlie positively selected human specific traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Peyrégne
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael James Boyle
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Dannemann
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kay Prüfer
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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33
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SRGAP2 and Its Human-Specific Paralog Co-Regulate the Development of Excitatory and Inhibitory Synapses. Neuron 2016; 91:356-69. [PMID: 27373832 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Revised: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The proper function of neural circuits requires spatially and temporally balanced development of excitatory and inhibitory synapses. However, the molecular mechanisms coordinating excitatory and inhibitory synaptogenesis remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that SRGAP2A and its human-specific paralog SRGAP2C co-regulate the development of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in cortical pyramidal neurons in vivo. SRGAP2A promotes synaptic maturation, and ultimately the synaptic accumulation of AMPA and GABAA receptors, by interacting with key components of both excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic scaffolds, Homer and Gephyrin. Furthermore, SRGAP2A limits the density of both types of synapses via its Rac1-GAP activity. SRGAP2C inhibits all identified functions of SRGAP2A, protracting the maturation and increasing the density of excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Our results uncover a molecular mechanism coordinating critical features of synaptic development and suggest that human-specific duplication of SRGAP2 might have contributed to the emergence of unique traits of human neurons while preserving the excitation/inhibition balance.
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34
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Genome-culture coevolution promotes rapid divergence of killer whale ecotypes. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11693. [PMID: 27243207 PMCID: PMC4895049 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysing population genomic data from killer whale ecotypes, which we estimate have globally radiated within less than 250,000 years, we show that genetic structuring including the segregation of potentially functional alleles is associated with socially inherited ecological niche. Reconstruction of ancestral demographic history revealed bottlenecks during founder events, likely promoting ecological divergence and genetic drift resulting in a wide range of genome-wide differentiation between pairs of allopatric and sympatric ecotypes. Functional enrichment analyses provided evidence for regional genomic divergence associated with habitat, dietary preferences and post-zygotic reproductive isolation. Our findings are consistent with expansion of small founder groups into novel niches by an initial plastic behavioural response, perpetuated by social learning imposing an altered natural selection regime. The study constitutes an important step towards an understanding of the complex interaction between demographic history, culture, ecological adaptation and evolution at the genomic level. Killer whales have evolved into specialized ecotypes based on hunting strategies and ecological niches. Here, Andrew Foote and colleagues sequenced the whole genome of individual killer whales representing 5 different ecotypes from North Pacific and Antarctic, and show expansion of small founder groups to adapt to specific ecological niches.
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35
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Benítez-Burraco A, Uriagereka J. The Immune Syntax Revisited: Opening New Windows on Language Evolution. Front Mol Neurosci 2016; 8:84. [PMID: 26793054 PMCID: PMC4707268 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2015.00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has added new dimensions to our understanding of classical evolution, according to which evolutionary novelties result from gene mutations inherited from parents to offspring. Language is surely one such novelty. Together with specific changes in our genome and epigenome, we suggest that two other (related) mechanisms may have contributed to the brain rewiring underlying human cognitive evolution and, specifically, the changes in brain connectivity that prompted the emergence of our species-specific linguistic abilities: the horizontal transfer of genetic material by viral and non-viral vectors and the brain/immune system crosstalk (more generally, the dialogue between the microbiota, the immune system, and the brain).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Juan Uriagereka
- Department of Linguistics, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA
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36
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Mayo O. Interaction between Genotype and Environment: A Tale of Two Concepts. T ROY SOC SOUTH AUST 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/03721426.2011.10887151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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37
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Lambert KG, Nelson RJ, Jovanovic T, Cerdá M. Brains in the city: Neurobiological effects of urbanization. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 58:107-22. [PMID: 25936504 PMCID: PMC4774049 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Revised: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
With a majority of humans now living in cities, strategic research is necessary to elucidate the impact of this evolutionarily unfamiliar habitat on neural functions and well-being. In this review, both rodent and human models are considered in the evaluation of the changing physical and social landscapes associated with urban dwellings. Animal models assessing increased exposure to artificial physical elements characteristic of urban settings, as well as exposure to unnatural sources of light for extended durations, are reviewed. In both cases, increased biomarkers of mental illnesses such as major depression have been observed. Additionally, applied human research emphasizing the emotional impact of environmental threats associated with urban habitats is considered. Subjects evaluated in an inner-city hospital reveal the impact of combined specific genetic vulnerabilities and heightened stress responses in the expression of posttraumatic stress disorder. Finally, algorithm-based models of cities have been developed utilizing population-level analyses to identify risk factors for psychiatric illness. Although complex, the use of multiple research approaches, as described herein, results in an enhanced understanding of urbanization and its far-reaching effects--confirming the importance of continued research directed toward the identification of putative risk factors associated with psychiatric illness in urban settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly G Lambert
- Department of Psychology, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA 23005, USA.
| | - Randy J Nelson
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Magdalena Cerdá
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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Reyes-Centeno H, Hubbe M, Hanihara T, Stringer C, Harvati K. Testing modern human out-of-Africa dispersal models and implications for modern human origins. J Hum Evol 2015; 87:95-106. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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40
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Morar N. An empirically informed critique of Habermas' argument from human nature. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2015; 21:95-113. [PMID: 24446150 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-013-9509-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 12/27/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In a near-future world of bionics and biotechnology, the main ethical and political issue will be the definition of who we are. Could biomedical enhancements transform us to such an extent that we would be other than human? Habermas argues that any genetic enhancement intervention that could potentially alter 'human nature' should be morally prohibited since it alters the child's nature or the very essence that makes the child who he is. This practice also commits the child to a specific life project or, in any case, it puts specific restrictions on his freedom to choose a life of his own. Ultimately, genetic enhancement jeopardizes the very foundations of moral equality. I contend that Habermas' argument is based either on a series of presuppositions that imply a gross misunderstanding of evolution or the relevant factual information concerning the action we are about to morally assess is not empirically supported. Hence, the argument from human nature is based on a series of false or problematic assumptions, and, as such, it fails to play the normative role intended by Habermas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolae Morar
- The Rock Ethics Institute, Penn State University, 206 Sparks Bldg., University Park, PA, 16802, USA,
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41
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Matarin M, Salih DA, Yasvoina M, Cummings DM, Guelfi S, Liu W, Nahaboo Solim MA, Moens TG, Paublete RM, Ali SS, Perona M, Desai R, Smith KJ, Latcham J, Fulleylove M, Richardson JC, Hardy J, Edwards FA. A genome-wide gene-expression analysis and database in transgenic mice during development of amyloid or tau pathology. Cell Rep 2015; 10:633-44. [PMID: 25620700 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.12.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Revised: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We provide microarray data comparing genome-wide differential expression and pathology throughout life in four lines of "amyloid" transgenic mice (mutant human APP, PSEN1, or APP/PSEN1) and "TAU" transgenic mice (mutant human MAPT gene). Microarray data were validated by qPCR and by comparison to human studies, including genome-wide association study (GWAS) hits. Immune gene expression correlated tightly with plaques whereas synaptic genes correlated negatively with neurofibrillary tangles. Network analysis of immune gene modules revealed six hub genes in hippocampus of amyloid mice, four in common with cortex. The hippocampal network in TAU mice was similar except that Trem2 had hub status only in amyloid mice. The cortical network of TAU mice was entirely different with more hub genes and few in common with the other networks, suggesting reasons for specificity of cortical dysfunction in FTDP17. This Resource opens up many areas for investigation. All data are available and searchable at http://www.mouseac.org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Matarin
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Reta Lila Research Laboratories and Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, 1 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Dervis A Salih
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marina Yasvoina
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Damian M Cummings
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Sebastian Guelfi
- Reta Lila Research Laboratories and Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, 1 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Wenfei Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Muzammil A Nahaboo Solim
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Thomas G Moens
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rocio Moreno Paublete
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Shabinah S Ali
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marina Perona
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Roshni Desai
- Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Kenneth J Smith
- Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Judy Latcham
- Department of Laboratory Animal Science, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Michael Fulleylove
- Department of Laboratory Animal Science, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Jill C Richardson
- Neurosciences Therapeutic Area, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - John Hardy
- Reta Lila Research Laboratories and Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL, Institute of Neurology, 1 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PJ, UK.
| | - Frances A Edwards
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Varki N, Anderson D, Herndon JG, Pham T, Gregg CJ, Cheriyan M, Murphy J, Strobert E, Fritz J, Else JG, Varki A. Heart disease is common in humans and chimpanzees, but is caused by different pathological processes. Evol Appl 2015; 2:101-12. [PMID: 25567850 PMCID: PMC3352420 DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2008.00064.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2008] [Accepted: 12/11/2008] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Heart disease is common in both humans and chimpanzees, manifesting typically as sudden cardiac arrest or progressive heart failure. Surprisingly, although chimpanzees are our closest evolutionary relatives, the major cause of heart disease is different in the two species. Histopathology data of affected chimpanzee hearts from two primate centers, and analysis of literature indicate that sudden death in chimpanzees (and in gorillas and orangutans) is commonly associated with diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis of unknown cause. In contrast, most human heart disease results from coronary artery atherosclerosis, which occludes myocardial blood supply, causing ischemic damage. The typical myocardial infarction of humans due to coronary artery thrombosis is rare in these apes, despite their human-like coronary-risk-prone blood lipid profiles. Instead, chimpanzee ‘heart attacks’ are likely due to arrythmias triggered by myocardial fibrosis. Why do humans not often suffer from the fibrotic heart disease so common in our closest evolutionary cousins? Conversely, why do chimpanzees not have the kind of heart disease so common in humans? The answers could be of value to medical care, as well as to understanding human evolution. A preliminary attempt is made to explore possibilities at the histological level, with a focus on glycosylation changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nissi Varki
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Dan Anderson
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - James G Herndon
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tho Pham
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Christopher J Gregg
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Monica Cheriyan
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Strobert
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jo Fritz
- Primate Foundation of Arizona Mesa, AZ, USA
| | - James G Else
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ajit Varki
- Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Tatari-Calderone Z, Luban NLC, Vukmanovic S. Genetics of transfusion recipient alloimmunization: can clues from susceptibility to autoimmunity pave the way? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 41:436-45. [PMID: 25670931 DOI: 10.1159/000369145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The search for genetic determinants of alloimmunization in sickle cell disease transfusion recipients was based on two premises: i) that polymorphisms responsible for stronger immune and/or inflammatory responses and hemoglobin β(S) mutation were co-selected by malaria; and ii) that stronger responder status contributes to development of lupus. We found a marker of alloimmunization in the gene encoding for Ro52 protein, also known as Sjögren syndrome antigen 1 (SSA1) and TRIM21. Surprisingly, the nature of the association was opposite of that with lupus; the same variant of a polymorphism (rs660) that was associated with lupus incidence was also associated with induction of tolerance to red blood cell antigens during early childhood. The dual function of Ro52 can explain this apparent contradiction. We propose that other lupus/autoimmunity susceptibility loci may reveal roles of additional molecules in various aspects of alloimmunization induced by transfusion as well as during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohreh Tatari-Calderone
- Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA ; Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Naomi L C Luban
- Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA ; Division of Laboratory Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Stanislav Vukmanovic
- Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA ; Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
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Testa-Silva G, Verhoog MB, Linaro D, de Kock CPJ, Baayen JC, Meredith RM, De Zeeuw CI, Giugliano M, Mansvelder HD. High bandwidth synaptic communication and frequency tracking in human neocortex. PLoS Biol 2014; 12:e1002007. [PMID: 25422947 PMCID: PMC4244038 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 10/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal firing, synaptic transmission, and its plasticity form the building blocks for processing and storage of information in the brain. It is unknown whether adult human synapses are more efficient in transferring information between neurons than rodent synapses. To test this, we recorded from connected pairs of pyramidal neurons in acute brain slices of adult human and mouse temporal cortex and probed the dynamical properties of use-dependent plasticity. We found that human synaptic connections were purely depressing and that they recovered three to four times more swiftly from depression than synapses in rodent neocortex. Thereby, during realistic spike trains, the temporal resolution of synaptic information exchange in human synapses substantially surpasses that in mice. Using information theory, we calculate that information transfer between human pyramidal neurons exceeds that of mouse pyramidal neurons by four to nine times, well into the beta and gamma frequency range. In addition, we found that human principal cells tracked fine temporal features, conveyed in received synaptic inputs, at a wider bandwidth than for rodents. Action potential firing probability was reliably phase-locked to input transients up to 1,000 cycles/s because of a steep onset of action potentials in human pyramidal neurons during spike trains, unlike in rodent neurons. Our data show that, in contrast to the widely held views of limited information transfer in rodent depressing synapses, fast recovering synapses of human neurons can actually transfer substantial amounts of information during spike trains. In addition, human pyramidal neurons are equipped to encode high synaptic information content. Thus, adult human cortical microcircuits relay information at a wider bandwidth than rodent microcircuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Testa-Silva
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, CNCR, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthijs B. Verhoog
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, CNCR, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Daniele Linaro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Johannes C. Baayen
- Department of Neurosurgery, VU University Medical Center, Neuroscience Campus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rhiannon M. Meredith
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, CNCR, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Chris I. De Zeeuw
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Michele Giugliano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Huibert D. Mansvelder
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, CNCR, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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45
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Bell CG, Wilson GA, Beck S. Human-specific CpG 'beacons' identify human-specific prefrontal cortex H3K4me3 chromatin peaks. Epigenomics 2014; 6:21-31. [PMID: 24579944 DOI: 10.2217/epi.13.74] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Targeted recruitment of chromatin-modifying enzymes to clusters of CpG dinucleotides contributes toward the formation of accessible chromatin. By interprimate comparison we previously identified the set of nonpolymorphic human-specific CpGs (CpG 'beacons') and revealed that these loci were enriched for human disease traits. Due to their human-specific CpG density change, extreme CpG 'beacon' clusters (≥20 CpG beacons/kb) were predicted to identify permissive chromatin peaks within the human genome. AIM We set out to explore these sequence-defined regions for evidence of an active chromatin signature. RESULTS Using available comparative primate epigenomic data from neurons of the prefrontal cortex, we show that these CpG 'beacon' clusters are indeed enriched for being human-specific H3K4me3 peaks (χ(2): p < 2.2 × 10(-16)) and thus predictive of permissive chromatin states. These sequence regions had a higher predictive value than previous selective analyses. We also show that both human-specific H3K4me3 and CpG 'beacon' clusters are increased within current and ancestral telomeric regions, supporting an association with recombination, which is higher towards the distal ends of chromosomes. CONCLUSION Therefore, CpG-focused comparative sequence analysis can precisely pinpoint chromatin structures that contribute to the human-specific phenotype and further supports an integrated approach in genomic and epigenomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher G Bell
- Medical Genomics, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK
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Gok I, Baday M, Cetinkunar S, Kilic K, Bilgin BC. Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes XRCC2 and XRCC3 risk of gastric cancer in Turkey. Bosn J Basic Med Sci 2014; 14:214-8. [PMID: 25428673 DOI: 10.17305/bjbms.2014.4.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Revised: 09/06/2014] [Accepted: 09/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
We studied the prevalence of polymorphisms in genes XRCC2 and XRCC3 in stomach cancer patients who lived in North Eastern Turkey. A total of 61 cancer patients and 78 controls were included in this study. Single nucleotide changes were studied in XRCC2 and XRCC3 genes at locus Arg188His and Thr241Met. Blood samples were taken from the patients and controls, and DNA was isolated. The regions of interest were amplified using a polymerase chain reaction method. After amplification, we used restriction enzymes (HphI and NcoI) to digest the amplified product. Digested product was then run through gel electrophoresis. We identified changes in the nucleotides in these specific regions. It was found that the Arg188His polymorphism of the XRCC2 gene was about 39% (24 out of the 61) among cancer patients. However, only 15% (12 out of 78) of the control group indicated this polymorphism. We also observed that 18 of the 61 cancer patients (29%) carried the Thr241Met polymorphism of the XRCC3 gene whereas 11 of the 78 (14%) individuals in the control group had the polymorphism. Our results showed a significant difference in polymorphism ratios between the cancer patients and health control group for the regions of interest. This result clearly showed that these polymorphisms increase the risk of stomach cancer and might be a strong marker for early diagnosis of gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilhami Gok
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering & Architecture Kafkas University, 36100 Kars/ Turkey Phone: Fax : +90 474 225 12 82.
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Hubisz MJ, Pollard KS. Exploring the genesis and functions of Human Accelerated Regions sheds light on their role in human evolution. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2014; 29:15-21. [PMID: 25156517 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2014.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Human accelerated regions (HARs) are DNA sequences that changed very little throughout mammalian evolution, but then experienced a burst of changes in humans since divergence from chimpanzees. This unexpected evolutionary signature is suggestive of deeply conserved function that was lost or changed on the human lineage. Since their discovery, the actual roles of HARs in human evolution have remained somewhat elusive, due to their being almost exclusively non-coding sequences with no annotation. Ongoing research is beginning to crack this problem by leveraging new genome sequences, functional genomics data, computational approaches, and genetic assays to reveal that many HARs are developmental gene regulatory elements and RNA genes, most of which evolved their uniquely human mutations through positive selection before divergence of archaic hominins and diversification of modern humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Hubisz
- Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, Cornell University, 102D Weill Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Katherine S Pollard
- Gladstone Institutes, Division of Biostatistics & Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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del Rosario RCH, Rayan NA, Prabhakar S. Noncoding origins of anthropoid traits and a new null model of transposon functionalization. Genome Res 2014; 24:1469-84. [PMID: 25043600 PMCID: PMC4158753 DOI: 10.1101/gr.168963.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about novel genetic elements that drove the emergence of anthropoid primates. We exploited the sequencing of the marmoset genome to identify 23,849 anthropoid-specific constrained (ASC) regions and confirmed their robust functional signatures. Of the ASC base pairs, 99.7% were noncoding, suggesting that novel anthropoid functional elements were overwhelmingly cis-regulatory. ASCs were highly enriched in loci associated with fetal brain development, motor coordination, neurotransmission, and vision, thus providing a large set of candidate elements for exploring the molecular basis of hallmark primate traits. We validated ASC192 as a primate-specific enhancer in proliferative zones of the developing brain. Unexpectedly, transposable elements (TEs) contributed to >56% of ASCs, and almost all TE families showed functional potential similar to that of nonrepetitive DNA. Three L1PA repeat-derived ASCs displayed coherent eye-enhancer function, thus demonstrating that the "gene-battery" model of TE functionalization applies to enhancers in vivo. Our study provides fundamental insights into genome evolution and the origins of anthropoid phenotypes and supports an elegantly simple new null model of TE exaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo C H del Rosario
- Computational and Systems Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore, #02-01 Genome, Singapore 138672
| | - Nirmala Arul Rayan
- Computational and Systems Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore, #02-01 Genome, Singapore 138672
| | - Shyam Prabhakar
- Computational and Systems Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore, #02-01 Genome, Singapore 138672
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Hooli BV, Kovacs-Vajna ZM, Mullin K, Blumenthal MA, Mattheisen M, Zhang C, Lange C, Mohapatra G, Bertram L, Tanzi RE. Rare autosomal copy number variations in early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease. Mol Psychiatry 2014; 19:676-81. [PMID: 23752245 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2013.77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Revised: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Over 200 rare and fully penetrant pathogenic mutations in amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin 1 and 2 (PSEN1 and PSEN2) cause a subset of early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (EO-FAD). Of these, 21 cases of EO-FAD families carrying unique APP locus duplications remain the only pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs) identified to date in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using high-density DNA microarrays, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide analysis for the presence of rare CNVs in 261 EO-FAD and early/mixed-onset pedigrees. Our analysis revealed 10 novel private CNVs in 10 EO-FAD families overlapping a set of genes that includes: A2BP1, ABAT, CDH2, CRMP1, DMRT1, EPHA5, EPHA6, ERMP1, EVC, EVC2, FLJ35024 and VLDLR. In addition, CNVs encompassing two known frontotemporal dementia genes, CHMP2B and MAPT were found. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting rare gene-rich CNVs in EO-FAD and early/mixed-onset AD that are likely to underlie pathogenicity in familial AD and perhaps related dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- B V Hooli
- Department of Neurology, Genetics and Aging Research Unit, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Z M Kovacs-Vajna
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - K Mullin
- Department of Neurology, Genetics and Aging Research Unit, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - M A Blumenthal
- Department of Neurology, Genetics and Aging Research Unit, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - M Mattheisen
- Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston MA, USA
| | - C Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Genetics and Aging Research Unit, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - C Lange
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - G Mohapatra
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - L Bertram
- Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Neuropsychiatric Genetics Group, Berlin, Germany
| | - R E Tanzi
- Department of Neurology, Genetics and Aging Research Unit, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
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