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Hünemeier T. Biogeographic Perspectives on Human Genetic Diversification. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae029. [PMID: 38349332 PMCID: PMC10917211 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae029] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Modern humans originated in Africa 300,000 yr ago, and before leaving their continent of origin, they underwent a process of intense diversification involving complex demographic dynamics. Upon exiting Africa, different populations emerged on the four other inhabited continents, shaped by the interplay of various evolutionary processes, such as migrations, founder effects, and natural selection. Within each region, continental populations, in turn, diversified and evolved almost independently for millennia. As a backdrop to this diversification, introgressions from archaic species contributed to establishing different patterns of genetic diversity in different geographic regions, reshaping our understanding of our species' variability. With the increasing availability of genomic data, it has become possible to delineate the subcontinental human population structure precisely. However, the bias toward the genomic research focused on populations from the global North has limited our understanding of the real diversity of our species and the processes and events that guided different human groups throughout their evolutionary history. This perspective is part of a series of articles celebrating 40 yr since our journal, Molecular Biology and Evolution, was founded (Russo et al. 2024). The perspective is accompanied by virtual issues, a selection of papers on human diversification published by Genome Biology and Evolution and Molecular Biology and Evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tábita Hünemeier
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Population Genetics Department, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE - CSIC/Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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Peyrégne S, Slon V, Kelso J. More than a decade of genetic research on the Denisovans. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:83-103. [PMID: 37723347 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00643-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Denisovans, a group of now extinct humans who lived in Eastern Eurasia in the Middle and Late Pleistocene, were first identified from DNA sequences just over a decade ago. Only ten fragmentary remains from two sites have been attributed to Denisovans based entirely on molecular information. Nevertheless, there has been great interest in using genetic data to understand Denisovans and their place in human history. From the reconstruction of a single high-quality genome, it has been possible to infer their population history, including events of admixture with other human groups. Additionally, the identification of Denisovan DNA in the genomes of present-day individuals has provided insights into the timing and routes of dispersal of ancient modern humans into Asia and Oceania, as well as the contributions of archaic DNA to the physiology of present-day people. In this Review, we synthesize more than a decade of research on Denisovans, reconcile controversies and summarize insights into their population history and phenotype. We also highlight how our growing knowledge about Denisovans has provided insights into our own evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Peyrégne
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Viviane Slon
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Janet Kelso
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
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Velazquez-Arcelay K, Colbran LL, McArthur E, Brand CM, Rinker DC, Siemann JK, McMahon DG, Capra JA. Archaic Introgression Shaped Human Circadian Traits. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad203. [PMID: 38095367 PMCID: PMC10719892 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
When the ancestors of modern Eurasians migrated out of Africa and interbred with Eurasian archaic hominins, namely, Neanderthals and Denisovans, DNA of archaic ancestry integrated into the genomes of anatomically modern humans. This process potentially accelerated adaptation to Eurasian environmental factors, including reduced ultraviolet radiation and increased variation in seasonal dynamics. However, whether these groups differed substantially in circadian biology and whether archaic introgression adaptively contributed to human chronotypes remain unknown. Here, we traced the evolution of chronotype based on genomes from archaic hominins and present-day humans. First, we inferred differences in circadian gene sequences, splicing, and regulation between archaic hominins and modern humans. We identified 28 circadian genes containing variants with potential to alter splicing in archaics (e.g., CLOCK, PER2, RORB, and RORC) and 16 circadian genes likely divergently regulated between present-day humans and archaic hominins, including RORA. These differences suggest the potential for introgression to modify circadian gene expression. Testing this hypothesis, we found that introgressed variants are enriched among expression quantitative trait loci for circadian genes. Supporting the functional relevance of these regulatory effects, we found that many introgressed alleles have associations with chronotype. Strikingly, the strongest introgressed effects on chronotype increase morningness, consistent with adaptations to high latitude in other species. Finally, we identified several circadian loci with evidence of adaptive introgression or latitudinal clines in allele frequency. These findings identify differences in circadian gene regulation between modern humans and archaic hominins and support the contribution of introgression via coordinated effects on variation in human chronotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura L Colbran
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Evonne McArthur
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Colin M Brand
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, SanFrancisco, California, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, SanFrancisco, California, USA
| | - David C Rinker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Justin K Siemann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Douglas G McMahon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - John A Capra
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, SanFrancisco, California, USA
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, SanFrancisco, California, USA
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Villanea FA, Peede D, Kaufman EJ, Añorve-Garibay V, Witt KE, Villa-Islas V, Zeloni R, Marnetto D, Moorjani P, Jay F, Valdmanis PN, Ávila-Arcos MC, Huerta-Sánchez E. The MUC19 gene in Denisovans, Neanderthals, and Modern Humans: An Evolutionary History of Recurrent Introgression and Natural Selection. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.25.559202. [PMID: 37808839 PMCID: PMC10557577 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.25.559202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
All humans carry a small fraction of archaic ancestry across the genome, the legacy of gene flow from Neanderthals, Denisovans, and other hominids into the ancestors of modern humans. While the effects of Neanderthal ancestry on human fitness and health have been explored more thoroughly, there are fewer examples of adaptive introgression of Denisovan variants. Here, we study the gene MUC19, for which some modern humans carry a Denisovan-like haplotype. MUC19 is a mucin, a glycoprotein that forms gels with various biological functions, from lubrication to immunity. We find the diagnostic variants for the Denisovan-like MUC19 haplotype at high frequencies in admixed Latin American individuals among global population, and at highest frequency in 23 ancient Indigenous American individuals, all predating population admixture with Europeans and Africans. We find that some Neanderthals--Vindija and Chagyrskaya--carry the Denisovan-like MUC19 haplotype, and that it was likely introgressed into human populations through Neanderthal introgression rather than Denisovan introgression. Finally, we find that the Denisovan-like MUC19 haplotype carries a higher copy number of a 30 base-pair variable number tandem repeat relative to the Human-like haplotype, and that copy numbers of this repeat are exceedingly high in American populations. Our results suggest that the Denisovan-like MUC19 haplotype served as the raw genetic material for positive selection as American populations adapted to novel environments during their movement from Beringia into North and then South America.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Peede
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University
| | - Eli J Kaufman
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine
| | - Valeria Añorve-Garibay
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
| | - Kelsey E Witt
- Center for Human Genetics and Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University
| | - Viridiana Villa-Islas
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
| | - Roberta Zeloni
- Department of Neurosciences "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin
| | - Davide Marnetto
- Department of Neurosciences "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin
| | - Priya Moorjani
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Flora Jay
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, INRIA, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Sciences du Numérique, 91400, Orsay, France
| | - Paul N Valdmanis
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine
| | - María C Ávila-Arcos
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
| | - Emilia Huerta-Sánchez
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University
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Velazquez-Arcelay K, Colbran LL, McArthur E, Brand C, Rinker D, Siemann J, McMahon D, Capra JA. Archaic Introgression Shaped Human Circadian Traits. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.03.527061. [PMID: 36778254 PMCID: PMC9915721 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.03.527061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Introduction When the ancestors of modern Eurasians migrated out of Africa and interbred with Eurasian archaic hominins, namely Neanderthals and Denisovans, DNA of archaic ancestry integrated into the genomes of anatomically modern humans. This process potentially accelerated adaptation to Eurasian environmental factors, including reduced ultra-violet radiation and increased variation in seasonal dynamics. However, whether these groups differed substantially in circadian biology, and whether archaic introgression adaptively contributed to human chronotypes remains unknown. Results Here we traced the evolution of chronotype based on genomes from archaic hominins and present-day humans. First, we inferred differences in circadian gene sequences, splicing, and regulation between archaic hominins and modern humans. We identified 28 circadian genes containing variants with potential to alter splicing in archaics (e.g., CLOCK, PER2, RORB, RORC), and 16 circadian genes likely divergently regulated between present-day humans and archaic hominins, including RORA. These differences suggest the potential for introgression to modify circadian gene expression. Testing this hypothesis, we found that introgressed variants are enriched among eQTLs for circadian genes. Supporting the functional relevance of these regulatory effects, we found that many introgressed alleles have associations with chronotype. Strikingly, the strongest introgressed effects on chronotype increase morningness, consistent with adaptations to high latitude in other species. Finally, we identified several circadian loci with evidence of adaptive introgression or latitudinal clines in allele frequency. Conclusions These findings identify differences in circadian gene regulation between modern humans and archaic hominins and support the contribution of introgression via coordinated effects on variation in human chronotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura L. Colbran
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
| | | | - Colin Brand
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco
| | - David Rinker
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University
| | - Justin Siemann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University
| | | | - John A. Capra
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco
- Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco
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