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Padró J, De Panis DN, Luisi P, Dopazo H, Szajnman S, Hasson E, Soto IM. Ortholog genes from cactophilic Drosophila provide insight into human adaptation to hallucinogenic cacti. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13180. [PMID: 35915153 PMCID: PMC9343604 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17118-x] [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: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cultural transformations of lifestyles and dietary practices have been key drivers of human evolution. However, while most of the evidence of genomic adaptations is related to the hunter-gatherer transition to agricultural societies, little is known on the influence of other major cultural manifestations. Shamanism is considered the oldest religion that predominated throughout most of human prehistory and still prevails in many indigenous populations. Several lines of evidence from ethno-archeological studies have demonstrated the continuity and importance of psychoactive plants in South American cultures. However, despite the well-known importance of secondary metabolites in human health, little is known about its role in the evolution of ethnic differences. Herein, we identified candidate genes of adaptation to hallucinogenic cactus in Native Andean populations with a long history of shamanic practices. We used genome-wide expression data from the cactophilic fly Drosophila buzzatii exposed to a hallucinogenic columnar cactus, also consumed by humans, to identify ortholog genes exhibiting adaptive footprints of alkaloid tolerance. Genomic analyses in human populations revealed a suite of ortholog genes evolving under recent positive selection in indigenous populations of the Central Andes. Our results provide evidence of selection in genetic variants related to alkaloids toxicity, xenobiotic metabolism, and neuronal plasticity in Aymara and Quechua populations, suggesting a possible process of gene-culture coevolution driven by religious practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Padró
- INIBIOMA-CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina.
| | - Diego N De Panis
- IEGEBA-CONICET, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pierre Luisi
- Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (FFyH-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina.,Microbial Paleogenomics Unit, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 Rue du Dr Roux, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Hernan Dopazo
- IEGEBA-CONICET, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sergio Szajnman
- Departamento de Química Orgánica and UMYMFOR (CONICET-FCEyN), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Esteban Hasson
- IEGEBA-CONICET, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ignacio M Soto
- IEGEBA-CONICET, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Currea JP, Frazer R, Wasserman SM, Theobald J. Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies. iScience 2022; 25:103637. [PMID: 35028530 PMCID: PMC8741510 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103637] [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: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
An animal's vision depends on terrain features that limit the amount and distribution of available light. Approximately 10,000 years ago, vinegar flies (Drosophila melanogaster) transitioned from a single plant specialist into a cosmopolitan generalist. Much earlier, desert flies (D. mojavensis) colonized the New World, specializing on rotting cactuses in southwest North America. Their desert habitats are characteristically flat, bright, and barren, implying environmental differences in light availability. Here, we demonstrate differences in eye morphology and visual motion perception under three ambient light levels. Reducing ambient light from 35 to 18 cd/m2 causes sensitivity loss in desert but not vinegar flies. However, at 3 cd/m2, desert flies sacrifice spatial and temporal acuity more severely than vinegar flies to maintain contrast sensitivity. These visual differences help vinegar flies navigate under variably lit habitats around the world and desert flies brave the harsh desert while accommodating their crepuscular lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P. Currea
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Rachel Frazer
- Division of Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sara M. Wasserman
- Department of Neuroscience, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA
| | - Jamie Theobald
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
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