1
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Shin T, Song JHT, Kosicki M, Kenny C, Beck SG, Kelley L, Antony I, Qian X, Bonacina J, Papandile F, Gonzalez D, Scotellaro J, Bushinsky EM, Andersen RE, Maury E, Pennacchio LA, Doan RN, Walsh CA. Rare variation in non-coding regions with evolutionary signatures contributes to autism spectrum disorder risk. CELL GENOMICS 2024:100609. [PMID: 39019033 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Little is known about the role of non-coding regions in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined three classes of non-coding regions: human accelerated regions (HARs), which show signatures of positive selection in humans; experimentally validated neural VISTA enhancers (VEs); and conserved regions predicted to act as neural enhancers (CNEs). Targeted and whole-genome analysis of >16,600 samples and >4,900 ASD probands revealed that likely recessive, rare, inherited variants in HARs, VEs, and CNEs substantially contribute to ASD risk in probands whose parents share ancestry, which enriches for recessive contributions, but modestly contribute, if at all, in simplex family structures. We identified multiple patient variants in HARs near IL1RAPL1 and in VEs near OTX1 and SIM1 and showed that they change enhancer activity. Our results implicate both human-evolved and evolutionarily conserved non-coding regions in ASD risk and suggest potential mechanisms of how regulatory changes can modulate social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taehwan Shin
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Janet H T Song
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michael Kosicki
- Environmental Genomics & System Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Connor Kenny
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Samantha G Beck
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lily Kelley
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Irene Antony
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Xuyu Qian
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Julieta Bonacina
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Frances Papandile
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dilenny Gonzalez
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Julia Scotellaro
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Evan M Bushinsky
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rebecca E Andersen
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Eduardo Maury
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Len A Pennacchio
- Environmental Genomics & System Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ryan N Doan
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Christopher A Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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2
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Nehme R, Pietiläinen O, Barrett LE. Genomic, molecular, and cellular divergence of the human brain. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:491-505. [PMID: 38897852 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
While many core biological processes are conserved across species, the human brain has evolved with unique capacities. Current understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that endow human traits as well as associated vulnerabilities remains limited. However, emerging data have illuminated species divergence in DNA elements and genome organization, in molecular, morphological, and functional features of conserved neural cell types, as well as temporal differences in brain development. Here, we summarize recent data on unique features of the human brain and their complex implications for the study and treatment of brain diseases. We also consider key outstanding questions in the field and discuss the technologies and foundational knowledge that will be required to accelerate understanding of human neurobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralda Nehme
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Olli Pietiläinen
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lindy E Barrett
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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3
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Chen S, Tang D, Deng L, Xu S. Asian-European differentiation of schizophrenia-associated genes driven by admixture and natural selection. iScience 2024; 27:109560. [PMID: 38638564 PMCID: PMC11024917 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109560] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The European-centered genome-wide association studies of schizophrenia (SCZ) may not be well applied to non-European populations. We analyzed 1,592 reported SCZ-associated genes using the public genome data and found an overall higher Asian-European differentiation on the SCZ-associated variants than at the genome-wide level. Notable examples included 15 missense variants, a regulatory variant SLC5A10-rs1624825, and a damaging variant TSPAN18-rs1001292. Independent local adaptations in recent 25,000 years, after the Asian-European divergence, could have contributed to such genetic differentiation, as were identified at a missense mutation LTN1-rs57646126-A in Asians, and a non-risk allele ZSWIM6-rs72761442-G in Europeans. Altai-Neanderthal-derived alleles may have opposite effects on SCZ susceptibility between ancestries. Furthermore, adaptive introgression was detected on the non-risk haplotype at 1q21.2 in Europeans, while in Asians it was observed on the SCZ risk haplotype at 3p21.31 which is also potentially ultra-violet protective. This study emphasizes the importance of including more representative Asian samples in future SCZ studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Center for Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Die Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Center for Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Lian Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Center for Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Shuhua Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Center for Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences, Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
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4
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Mitteroecker P, Merola GP. The cliff edge model of the evolution of schizophrenia: Mathematical, epidemiological, and genetic evidence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 160:105636. [PMID: 38522813 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
How has schizophrenia, a condition that significantly reduces an individual's evolutionary fitness, remained common across generations and cultures? Numerous theories about the evolution of schizophrenia have been proposed, most of which are not consistent with modern epidemiological and genetic evidence. Here, we briefly review this evidence and explore the cliff edge model of schizophrenia. It suggests that schizophrenia is the extreme manifestation of a polygenic trait or a combination of traits that, within a normal range of variation, confer cognitive, linguistic, and/or social advantages. Only beyond a certain threshold, these traits precipitate the onset of schizophrenia and reduce fitness. We provide the first mathematical model of this qualitative concept and show that it requires only very weak positive selection of the underlying trait(s) to explain today's schizophrenia prevalence. This prediction, along with expectations about the effect size of schizophrenia risk alleles, are surprisingly well matched by empirical evidence. The cliff edge model predicts a dynamic change of selection of risk alleles, which explains the contradictory findings of evolutionary genetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Mitteroecker
- Unit for Theoretical Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, Vienna, Austria; Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg, Vienna, Austria.
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5
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Safiri S, Noori M, Nejadghaderi SA, Shamekh A, Sullman MJM, Collins GS, Kolahi AA. The burden of schizophrenia in the Middle East and North Africa region, 1990-2019. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9720. [PMID: 38678101 PMCID: PMC11055947 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59905-8] [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: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia ranks as the third-most common cause of disability among mental disorders globally. This study presents findings on the prevalence, incidence and years lived with disability (YLDs) as a result of schizophrenia in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), stratified by age, sex and sociodemographic index (SDI). We collected publicly accessible data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2019. This study reports the burden of schizophrenia, from 1990 to 2019, for the 21 countries that comprise MENA. In 2019, MENA exhibited an age-standardised point prevalence of 248.2, an incidence rate of 14.7 and an YLD rate of 158.7 per 100,000, which have not changed substantially between 1990 and 2019. In 2019, the age-standardised YLD rate was highest in Qatar and lowest in Afghanistan. No MENA countries demonstrated noteworthy changes in the burden of schizophrenia from 1990 to 2019. Furthermore, in 2019, the highest number of prevalent cases and the point prevalence were observed among those aged 35-39, with a higher prevalence among males in almost all age categories. Additionally, in 2019, the age-standardised YLD rates in MENA were below the worldwide average. Finally, there was a positive correlation between the burden of schizophrenia and the SDI from 1990 to 2019. The disease burden of schizophrenia has remained relatively stable over the past thirty years. Nevertheless, as the regional life-expectancy continues to increase, the burden of schizophrenia is also expected to rise. Therefore, early planning for the increase in the burden of the disease is urgently needed in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeid Safiri
- Neurosciences Research Center, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
- Clinical Research Development Unit of Tabriz Valiasr Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Maryam Noori
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Aria Nejadghaderi
- HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
- Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Expert Group (SRMEG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Shamekh
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mark J M Sullman
- Department of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Department of Social Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Gary S Collins
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, NDORMS, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Ali-Asghar Kolahi
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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6
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Hu B, Zhuang XL, Zhou L, Zhang G, Cooper DN, Wu DD. Deciphering the Role of Rapidly Evolving Conserved Elements in Primate Brain Development and Exploring Their Potential Involvement in Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae001. [PMID: 38175672 PMCID: PMC10798191 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae001] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Although previous studies have identified human-specific accelerated regions as playing a key role in the recent evolution of the human brain, the characteristics and cellular functions of rapidly evolving conserved elements (RECEs) in ancestral primate lineages remain largely unexplored. Here, based on large-scale primate genome assemblies, we identify 888 RECEs that have been highly conserved in primates that exhibit significantly accelerated substitution rates in the ancestor of the Simiiformes. This primate lineage exhibits remarkable morphological innovations, including an expanded brain mass. Integrative multiomic analyses reveal that RECEs harbor sequences with potential cis-regulatory functions that are activated in the adult human brain. Importantly, genes linked to RECEs exhibit pronounced expression trajectories in the adult brain relative to the fetal stage. Furthermore, we observed an increase in the chromatin accessibility of RECEs in oligodendrocytes from individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to that of a control group, indicating that these RECEs may contribute to brain aging and AD. Our findings serve to expand our knowledge of the genetic underpinnings of brain function during primate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benxia Hu
- Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Long Zhou
- Center of Evolutionary and Organismal Biology, and Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Guojie Zhang
- Center of Evolutionary and Organismal Biology, and Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - David N Cooper
- Institute of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Dong-Dong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Center, and National Research Facility for Phenotypic and Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
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7
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Poller W, Sahoo S, Hajjar R, Landmesser U, Krichevsky AM. Exploration of the Noncoding Genome for Human-Specific Therapeutic Targets-Recent Insights at Molecular and Cellular Level. Cells 2023; 12:2660. [PMID: 37998395 PMCID: PMC10670380 DOI: 10.3390/cells12222660] [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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
While it is well known that 98-99% of the human genome does not encode proteins, but are nevertheless transcriptionally active and give rise to a broad spectrum of noncoding RNAs [ncRNAs] with complex regulatory and structural functions, specific functions have so far been assigned to only a tiny fraction of all known transcripts. On the other hand, the striking observation of an overwhelmingly growing fraction of ncRNAs, in contrast to an only modest increase in the number of protein-coding genes, during evolution from simple organisms to humans, strongly suggests critical but so far essentially unexplored roles of the noncoding genome for human health and disease pathogenesis. Research into the vast realm of the noncoding genome during the past decades thus lead to a profoundly enhanced appreciation of the multi-level complexity of the human genome. Here, we address a few of the many huge remaining knowledge gaps and consider some newly emerging questions and concepts of research. We attempt to provide an up-to-date assessment of recent insights obtained by molecular and cell biological methods, and by the application of systems biology approaches. Specifically, we discuss current data regarding two topics of high current interest: (1) By which mechanisms could evolutionary recent ncRNAs with critical regulatory functions in a broad spectrum of cell types (neural, immune, cardiovascular) constitute novel therapeutic targets in human diseases? (2) Since noncoding genome evolution is causally linked to brain evolution, and given the profound interactions between brain and immune system, could human-specific brain-expressed ncRNAs play a direct or indirect (immune-mediated) role in human diseases? Synergistic with remarkable recent progress regarding delivery, efficacy, and safety of nucleic acid-based therapies, the ongoing large-scale exploration of the noncoding genome for human-specific therapeutic targets is encouraging to proceed with the development and clinical evaluation of novel therapeutic pathways suggested by these research fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Poller
- Department for Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Deutsches Herzzentrum Charité (DHZC), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 12200 Berlin, Germany;
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Site Berlin, 10785 Berlin, Germany
| | - Susmita Sahoo
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY 10029, USA;
| | - Roger Hajjar
- Gene & Cell Therapy Institute, Mass General Brigham, 65 Landsdowne St, Suite 143, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA;
| | - Ulf Landmesser
- Department for Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Deutsches Herzzentrum Charité (DHZC), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 12200 Berlin, Germany;
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Site Berlin, 10785 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna M. Krichevsky
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
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8
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Guardiola-Ripoll M, Almodóvar-Payá C, Arias-Magnasco A, Latorre-Guardia M, Papiol S, Canales-Rodríguez EJ, García-León MÁ, Fuentes-Claramonte P, Salavert J, Tristany J, Torres L, Rodríguez-Cano E, Salvador R, Pomarol-Clotet E, Fatjó-Vilas M. Human-specific evolutionary markers linked to foetal neurodevelopment modulate brain surface area in schizophrenia. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1040. [PMID: 37833414 PMCID: PMC10576001 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05356-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia may represent a trade-off in the evolution of human-specific ontogenetic mechanisms that guide neurodevelopment. Human Accelerated Regions (HARs) are evolutionary markers functioning as neurodevelopmental transcription enhancers that have been associated with brain configuration, neural information processing, and schizophrenia risk. Here, we have investigated the influence of HARs' polygenic load on neuroanatomical measures through a case-control approach (128 patients with schizophrenia and 115 controls). To this end, we have calculated the global schizophrenia Polygenic Risk Score (Global PRSSZ) and that specific to HARs (HARs PRSSZ). We have also estimated the polygenic burden restricted to the HARs linked to transcriptional regulatory elements active in the foetal brain (FB-HARs PRSSZ) and the adult brain (AB-HARs PRSSZ). We have explored the main effects of the PRSs and the PRSs x diagnosis interactions on brain regional cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA). The results indicate that a higher FB-HARs PRSSZ is associated with patients' lower SA in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, the superior temporal cortex, the pars triangularis and the paracentral lobule. While noHARs-derived PRSs show an effect on the risk, our neuroanatomical findings suggest that the human-specific transcriptional regulation during the prenatal period underlies SA variability, highlighting the role of these evolutionary markers in the schizophrenia genomic architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Guardiola-Ripoll
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Carmen Almodóvar-Payá
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Sergi Papiol
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Erick J Canales-Rodríguez
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain
- Signal Processing Laboratory 5 (LTS5), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - María Ángeles García-León
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain
| | - Paola Fuentes-Claramonte
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain
| | - Josep Salavert
- Hospital Sant Rafael, Germanes Hospitalàries, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Tristany
- Hospital Sagrat Cor, Germanes Hospitalàries, Martorell, Spain
| | - Llanos Torres
- Hospital Mare de Déu de la Mercè, Germanes Hospitalàries, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elena Rodríguez-Cano
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain
- Hospital Benito Menni, Germanes Hospitalàries, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Raymond Salvador
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain
| | - Edith Pomarol-Clotet
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mar Fatjó-Vilas
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
- CIBERSAM (Biomedical Research Network in Mental Health; Instituto de Salud Carlos III), Madrid, Spain.
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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9
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Shin T, Song JH, Kosicki M, Kenny C, Beck SG, Kelley L, Qian X, Bonacina J, Papandile F, Antony I, Gonzalez D, Scotellaro J, Bushinsky EM, Andersen RE, Maury E, Pennacchio LA, Doan RN, Walsh CA. Rare variation in noncoding regions with evolutionary signatures contributes to autism spectrum disorder risk. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.09.19.23295780. [PMID: 37790480 PMCID: PMC10543033 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.19.23295780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the role of noncoding regions in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined three classes of noncoding regions: Human Accelerated Regions (HARs), which show signatures of positive selection in humans; experimentally validated neural Vista Enhancers (VEs); and conserved regions predicted to act as neural enhancers (CNEs). Targeted and whole genome analysis of >16,600 samples and >4900 ASD probands revealed that likely recessive, rare, inherited variants in HARs, VEs, and CNEs substantially contribute to ASD risk in probands whose parents share ancestry, which enriches for recessive contributions, but modestly, if at all, in simplex family structures. We identified multiple patient variants in HARs near IL1RAPL1 and in a VE near SIM1 and showed that they change enhancer activity. Our results implicate both human-evolved and evolutionarily conserved noncoding regions in ASD risk and suggest potential mechanisms of how changes in regulatory regions can modulate social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taehwan Shin
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Janet H.T. Song
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Michael Kosicki
- Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Connor Kenny
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Samantha G. Beck
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lily Kelley
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Xuyu Qian
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julieta Bonacina
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Frances Papandile
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Irene Antony
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Dilenny Gonzalez
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julia Scotellaro
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Evan M. Bushinsky
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Rebecca E. Andersen
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Eduardo Maury
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Len A. Pennacchio
- Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ryan N. Doan
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Christopher A. Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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10
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González-Peñas J, de Hoyos L, Díaz-Caneja CM, Andreu-Bernabeu Á, Stella C, Gurriarán X, Fañanás L, Bobes J, González-Pinto A, Crespo-Facorro B, Martorell L, Vilella E, Muntané G, Molto MD, Gonzalez-Piqueras JC, Parellada M, Arango C, Costas J. Recent natural selection conferred protection against schizophrenia by non-antagonistic pleiotropy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15500. [PMID: 37726359 PMCID: PMC10509162 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42578-0] [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: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder associated with a reduced fertility and decreased life expectancy, yet common predisposing variation substantially contributes to the onset of the disorder, which poses an evolutionary paradox. Previous research has suggested balanced selection, a mechanism by which schizophrenia risk alleles could also provide advantages under certain environments, as a reliable explanation. However, recent studies have shown strong evidence against a positive selection of predisposing loci. Furthermore, evolutionary pressures on schizophrenia risk alleles could have changed throughout human history as new environments emerged. Here in this study, we used 1000 Genomes Project data to explore the relationship between schizophrenia predisposing loci and recent natural selection (RNS) signatures after the human diaspora out of Africa around 100,000 years ago on a genome-wide scale. We found evidence for significant enrichment of RNS markers in derived alleles arisen during human evolution conferring protection to schizophrenia. Moreover, both partitioned heritability and gene set enrichment analyses of mapped genes from schizophrenia predisposing loci subject to RNS revealed a lower involvement in brain and neuronal related functions compared to those not subject to RNS. Taken together, our results suggest non-antagonistic pleiotropy as a likely mechanism behind RNS that could explain the persistence of schizophrenia common predisposing variation in human populations due to its association to other non-psychiatric phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier González-Peñas
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Calle Ibiza, 43, 28009, Madrid, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain.
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Lucía de Hoyos
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Calle Ibiza, 43, 28009, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Covadonga M Díaz-Caneja
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Calle Ibiza, 43, 28009, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Álvaro Andreu-Bernabeu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Calle Ibiza, 43, 28009, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carol Stella
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Calle Ibiza, 43, 28009, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Xaquín Gurriarán
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Calle Ibiza, 43, 28009, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lourdes Fañanás
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julio Bobes
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences - Psychiatry, Universidad de Oviedo, ISPA, INEUROPA, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Ana González-Pinto
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- BIOARABA Health Research Institute, OSI Araba, University Hospital, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria, Spain
| | - Benedicto Crespo-Facorro
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Lourdes Martorell
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata, IISPV, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Reus, Spain
| | - Elisabet Vilella
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata, IISPV, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Reus, Spain
| | - Gerard Muntané
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata, IISPV, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Reus, Spain
| | - María Dolores Molto
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Genetics, University of Valencia, Campus of Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Jose Carlos Gonzalez-Piqueras
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
- Fundación Investigación Hospital Clínico de Valencia, INCLIVA, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Mara Parellada
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Calle Ibiza, 43, 28009, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Celso Arango
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Calle Ibiza, 43, 28009, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain
- CIBERSAM, Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Costas
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS) de Santiago de Compostela, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
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11
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Kun E, Javan EM, Smith O, Gulamali F, de la Fuente J, Flynn BI, Vajrala K, Trutner Z, Jayakumar P, Tucker-Drob EM, Sohail M, Singh T, Narasimhan VM. The genetic architecture and evolution of the human skeletal form. Science 2023; 381:eadf8009. [PMID: 37471560 PMCID: PMC11075689 DOI: 10.1126/science.adf8009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
The human skeletal form underlies bipedalism, but the genetic basis of skeletal proportions (SPs) is not well characterized. We applied deep-learning models to 31,221 x-rays from the UK Biobank to extract a comprehensive set of SPs, which were associated with 145 independent loci genome-wide. Structural equation modeling suggested that limb proportions exhibited strong genetic sharing but were independent of width and torso proportions. Polygenic score analysis identified specific associations between osteoarthritis and hip and knee SPs. In contrast to other traits, SP loci were enriched in human accelerated regions and in regulatory elements of genes that are differentially expressed between humans and great apes. Combined, our work identifies specific genetic variants that affect the skeletal form and ties a major evolutionary facet of human anatomical change to pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eucharist Kun
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Emily M. Javan
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Olivia Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Faris Gulamali
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Javier de la Fuente
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Brianna I. Flynn
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Kushal Vajrala
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Zoe Trutner
- Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Prakash Jayakumar
- Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Mashaal Sohail
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas (CCG), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), 62209 Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Tarjinder Singh
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- The New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vagheesh M. Narasimhan
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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12
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Quan Y, Zhang KX, Zhang HY. The gut microbiota links disease to human genome evolution. Trends Genet 2023; 39:451-461. [PMID: 36872184 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
A large number of studies have established a causal relationship between the gut microbiota and human disease. In addition, the composition of the microbiota is substantially influenced by the human genome. Modern medical research has confirmed that the pathogenesis of various diseases is closely related to evolutionary events in the human genome. Specific regions of the human genome known as human accelerated regions (HARs) have evolved rapidly over several million years since humans diverged from a common ancestor with chimpanzees, and HARs have been found to be involved in some human-specific diseases. Furthermore, the HAR-regulated gut microbiota has undergone rapid changes during human evolution. We propose that the gut microbiota may serve as an important mediator linking diseases to human genome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Quan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China
| | - Ke-Xin Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China
| | - Hong-Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
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13
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Zhang X, Fang B, Huang YF. Transcription factor binding sites are frequently under accelerated evolution in primates. Nat Commun 2023; 14:783. [PMID: 36774380 PMCID: PMC9922303 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36421-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent comparative genomic studies have identified many human accelerated elements (HARs) with elevated substitution rates in the human lineage. However, it remains unknown to what extent transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) are under accelerated evolution in humans and other primates. Here, we introduce two pooling-based phylogenetic methods with dramatically enhanced sensitivity to examine accelerated evolution in TFBSs. Using these new methods, we show that more than 6000 TFBSs annotated in the human genome have experienced accelerated evolution in Hominini, apes, and Old World monkeys. Although these TFBSs individually show relatively weak signals of accelerated evolution, they collectively are more abundant than HARs. Also, we show that accelerated evolution in Pol III binding sites may be driven by lineage-specific positive selection, whereas accelerated evolution in other TFBSs might be driven by nonadaptive evolutionary forces. Finally, the accelerated TFBSs are enriched around developmental genes, suggesting that accelerated evolution in TFBSs may drive the divergence of developmental processes between primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinru Zhang
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA. .,Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA. .,Bioinformatics and Genomics Graduate Program, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Bohao Fang
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02135, USA
| | - Yi-Fei Huang
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA. .,Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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14
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A Systematic Review of the Human Accelerated Regions in Schizophrenia and Related Disorders: Where the Evolutionary and Neurodevelopmental Hypotheses Converge. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043597. [PMID: 36835010 PMCID: PMC9962562 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that results from genetic and environmental factors interacting and disrupting neurodevelopmental trajectories. Human Accelerated Regions (HARs) are evolutionarily conserved genomic regions that have accumulated human-specific sequence changes. Thus, studies on the impact of HARs in the context of neurodevelopment, as well as with respect to adult brain phenotypes, have increased considerably in the last few years. Through a systematic approach, we aim to offer a comprehensive review of HARs' role in terms of human brain development, configuration, and cognitive abilities, as well as whether HARs modulate the susceptibility to neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. First, the evidence in this review highlights HARs' molecular functions in the context of the neurodevelopmental regulatory genetic machinery. Second, brain phenotypic analyses indicate that HAR genes' expression spatially correlates with the regions that suffered human-specific cortical expansion, as well as with the regional interactions for synergistic information processing. Lastly, studies based on candidate HAR genes and the global "HARome" variability describe the involvement of these regions in the genetic background of schizophrenia, but also in other neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. Overall, the data considered in this review emphasise the crucial role of HARs in human-specific neurodevelopment processes and encourage future research on this evolutionary marker for a better understanding of the genetic basis of schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental-related psychiatric disorders. Accordingly, HARs emerge as interesting genomic regions that require further study in order to bridge the neurodevelopmental and evolutionary hypotheses in schizophrenia and other related disorders and phenotypes.
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15
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Kun E, Javan EM, Smith O, Gulamali F, de la Fuente J, Flynn BI, Vajrala K, Trutner Z, Jayakumar P, Tucker-Drob EM, Sohail M, Singh T, Narasimhan VM. The genetic architecture of the human skeletal form. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.03.521284. [PMID: 36712136 PMCID: PMC9881884 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.03.521284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The human skeletal form underlies our ability to walk on two legs, but unlike standing height, the genetic basis of limb lengths and skeletal proportions is less well understood. Here we applied a deep learning model to 31,221 whole body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) images from the UK Biobank (UKB) to extract 23 different image-derived phenotypes (IDPs) that include all long bone lengths as well as hip and shoulder width, which we analyzed while controlling for height. All skeletal proportions are highly heritable (∼40-50%), and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of these traits identified 179 independent loci, of which 102 loci were not associated with height. These loci are enriched in genes regulating skeletal development as well as associated with rare human skeletal diseases and abnormal mouse skeletal phenotypes. Genetic correlation and genomic structural equation modeling indicated that limb proportions exhibited strong genetic sharing but were genetically independent of width and torso proportions. Phenotypic and polygenic risk score analyses identified specific associations between osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee, the leading causes of adult disability in the United States, and skeletal proportions of the corresponding regions. We also found genomic evidence of evolutionary change in arm-to-leg and hip-width proportions in humans consistent with striking anatomical changes in these skeletal proportions in the hominin fossil record. In contrast to cardiovascular, auto-immune, metabolic, and other categories of traits, loci associated with these skeletal proportions are significantly enriched in human accelerated regions (HARs), and regulatory elements of genes differentially expressed through development between humans and the great apes. Taken together, our work validates the use of deep learning models on DXA images to identify novel and specific genetic variants affecting the human skeletal form and ties a major evolutionary facet of human anatomical change to pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eucharist Kun
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Emily M Javan
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Olivia Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
| | | | | | - Brianna I Flynn
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Kushal Vajrala
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Zoe Trutner
- Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Prakash Jayakumar
- Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, The University of Texas at Austin
| | | | - Mashaal Sohail
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas (CCG), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
| | - Tarjinder Singh
- The Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- The New York Genome Center
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University
| | - Vagheesh M Narasimhan
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, The University of Texas at Austin
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16
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Cheli S. An evolutionary look at oddity and schizotypy: How the rise of social brain informs clinical practice. NEW IDEAS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2022.100993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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17
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Levchenko A, Gusev F, Rogaev E. The evolutionary origin of psychosis. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1115929. [PMID: 36741116 PMCID: PMC9894884 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1115929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Imagination, the driving force of creativity, and primary psychosis are human-specific, since we do not observe behaviors in other species that would convincingly suggest they possess the same traits. Both these traits have been linked to the function of the prefrontal cortex, which is the most evolutionarily novel region of the human brain. A number of evolutionarily novel genetic and epigenetic changes that determine the human brain-specific structure and function have been discovered in recent years. Among them are genomic loci subjected to increased rates of single nucleotide substitutions in humans, called human accelerated regions. These mostly regulatory regions are involved in brain development and sometimes contain genetic variants that confer a risk for schizophrenia. On the other hand, neuroimaging data suggest that mind wandering and related phenomena (as a proxy of imagination) are in many ways similar to rapid eye movement dreaming, a function also present in non-human species. Furthermore, both functions are similar to psychosis in several ways: for example, the same brain areas are activated both in dreams and visual hallucinations. In the present Perspective we hypothesize that imagination is an evolutionary adaptation of dreaming, while primary psychosis results from deficient control by higher-order brain areas over imagination. In the light of this, human accelerated regions might be one of the key drivers in evolution of human imagination and the pathogenesis of psychotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Levchenko
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Fedor Gusev
- Center for Genetics and Life Sciences, Department of Genetics, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, Russia.,Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Evgeny Rogaev
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury, MA, United States
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18
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Abstract
Human accelerated regions (HARs) are the fastest-evolving sequences in the human genome. When HARs were discovered in 2006, their function was mysterious due to scant annotation of the noncoding genome. Diverse technologies, from transgenic animals to machine learning, have consistently shown that HARs function as gene regulatory enhancers with significant enrichment in neurodevelopment. It is now possible to quantitatively measure the enhancer activity of thousands of HARs in parallel and model how each nucleotide contributes to gene expression. These strategies have revealed that many human HAR sequences function differently than their chimpanzee orthologs, though individual nucleotide changes in the same HAR may have opposite effects, consistent with compensatory substitutions. To fully evaluate the role of HARs in human evolution, it will be necessary to experimentally and computationally dissect them across more cell types and developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Whalen
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, California, USA; ,
| | - Katherine S Pollard
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, California, USA; ,
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California, USA
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19
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Mangan RJ, Alsina FC, Mosti F, Sotelo-Fonseca JE, Snellings DA, Au EH, Carvalho J, Sathyan L, Johnson GD, Reddy TE, Silver DL, Lowe CB. Adaptive sequence divergence forged new neurodevelopmental enhancers in humans. Cell 2022; 185:4587-4603.e23. [PMID: 36423581 PMCID: PMC10013929 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Searches for the genetic underpinnings of uniquely human traits have focused on human-specific divergence in conserved genomic regions, which reflects adaptive modifications of existing functional elements. However, the study of conserved regions excludes functional elements that descended from previously neutral regions. Here, we demonstrate that the fastest-evolved regions of the human genome, which we term "human ancestor quickly evolved regions" (HAQERs), rapidly diverged in an episodic burst of directional positive selection prior to the human-Neanderthal split, before transitioning to constraint within hominins. HAQERs are enriched for bivalent chromatin states, particularly in gastrointestinal and neurodevelopmental tissues, and genetic variants linked to neurodevelopmental disease. We developed a multiplex, single-cell in vivo enhancer assay to discover that rapid sequence divergence in HAQERs generated hominin-unique enhancers in the developing cerebral cortex. We propose that a lack of pleiotropic constraints and elevated mutation rates poised HAQERs for rapid adaptation and subsequent susceptibility to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley J Mangan
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Fernando C Alsina
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Federica Mosti
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | | | - Daniel A Snellings
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Eric H Au
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Juliana Carvalho
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Laya Sathyan
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Graham D Johnson
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA; Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Timothy E Reddy
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA; Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Debra L Silver
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and Duke Regeneration Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Departments of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Craig B Lowe
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
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20
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Duński E, Pękowska A. Keeping the balance: Trade-offs between human brain evolution, autism, and schizophrenia. Front Genet 2022; 13:1009390. [DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1009390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The unique qualities of the human brain are a product of a complex evolutionary process. Evolution, famously described by François Jacob as a “tinkerer,” builds upon existing genetic elements by modifying and repurposing them for new functions. Genetic changes in DNA may lead to the emergence of new genes or cause altered gene expression patterns. Both gene and regulatory element mutations may lead to new functions. Yet, this process may lead to side-effects. An evolutionary trade-off occurs when an otherwise beneficial change, which is important for evolutionary success and is under strong positive selection, concurrently results in a detrimental change in another trait. Pleiotropy occurs when a gene affects multiple traits. Antagonistic pleiotropy is a phenomenon whereby a genetic variant leads to an increase in fitness at one life-stage or in a specific environment, but simultaneously decreases fitness in another respect. Therefore, it is conceivable that the molecular underpinnings of evolution of highly complex traits, including brain size or cognitive ability, under certain conditions could result in deleterious effects, which would increase the susceptibility to psychiatric or neurodevelopmental diseases. Here, we discuss possible trade-offs and antagonistic pleiotropies between evolutionary change in a gene sequence, dosage or activity and the susceptibility of individuals to autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. We present current knowledge about genes and alterations in gene regulatory landscapes, which have likely played a role in establishing human-specific traits and have been implicated in those diseases.
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21
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Chang X, Zhao W, Kang J, Xiang S, Xie C, Corona-Hernández H, Palaniyappan L, Feng J. Language abnormalities in schizophrenia: binding core symptoms through contemporary empirical evidence. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 8:95. [PMID: 36371445 PMCID: PMC9653408 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00308-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Both the ability to speak and to infer complex linguistic messages from sounds have been claimed as uniquely human phenomena. In schizophrenia, formal thought disorder (FTD) and auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are manifestations respectively relating to concrete disruptions of those abilities. From an evolutionary perspective, Crow (1997) proposed that "schizophrenia is the price that Homo sapiens pays for the faculty of language". Epidemiological and experimental evidence points to an overlap between FTD and AVHs, yet a thorough investigation examining their shared neural mechanism in schizophrenia is lacking. In this review, we synthesize observations from three key domains. First, neuroanatomical evidence indicates substantial shared abnormalities in language-processing regions between FTD and AVHs, even in the early phases of schizophrenia. Second, neurochemical studies point to a glutamate-related dysfunction in these language-processing brain regions, contributing to verbal production deficits. Third, genetic findings further show how genes that overlap between schizophrenia and language disorders influence neurodevelopment and neurotransmission. We argue that these observations converge into the possibility that a glutamatergic dysfunction in language-processing brain regions might be a shared neural basis of both FTD and AVHs. Investigations of language pathology in schizophrenia could facilitate the development of diagnostic tools and treatments, so we call for multilevel confirmatory analyses focused on modulations of the language network as a therapeutic goal in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Chang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- MOE-LCSM, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, PR China
| | - Jujiao Kang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Center for Mathematical Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shitong Xiang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Xie
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Hugo Corona-Hernández
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lena Palaniyappan
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
- Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Jianfeng Feng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China.
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Center for Mathematical Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
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22
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Casella AM, Colantuoni C, Ament SA. Identifying enhancer properties associated with genetic risk for complex traits using regulome-wide association studies. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010430. [PMID: 36070311 PMCID: PMC9484640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic risk for complex traits is strongly enriched in non-coding genomic regions involved in gene regulation, especially enhancers. However, we lack adequate tools to connect the characteristics of these disruptions to genetic risk. Here, we propose RWAS (Regulome Wide Association Study), a new application of the MAGMA software package to identify the characteristics of enhancers that contribute to genetic risk for disease. RWAS involves three steps: (i) assign genotyped SNPs to cell type- or tissue-specific regulatory features (e.g., enhancers); (ii) test associations of each regulatory feature with a trait of interest for which genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics are available; (iii) perform enhancer-set enrichment analyses to identify quantitative or categorical features of regulatory elements that are associated with the trait. These steps are implemented as a novel application of MAGMA, a tool originally developed for gene-based GWAS analyses. Applying RWAS to interrogate genetic risk for schizophrenia, we discovered a class of risk-associated AT-rich enhancers that are active in the developing brain and harbor binding sites for multiple transcription factors with neurodevelopmental functions. RWAS utilizes open-source software, and we provide a comprehensive collection of annotations for tissue-specific enhancer locations and features, including their evolutionary conservation, AT content, and co-localization with binding sites for hundreds of TFs. RWAS will enable researchers to characterize properties of regulatory elements associated with any trait of interest for which GWAS summary statistics are available. Enhancers are regulatory regions that influence gene expression via the binding of transcription factors. Risk for many heritable diseases is enriched in regulatory regions, including enhancers. In this study, we introduce a novel application of the MAGMA software tool that enables testing for associations between enhancer attributes and risk, and we use this method to determine the enhancer characteristics that are associated with risk for schizophrenia. We found that enhancers associated with schizophrenia risk are both evolutionarily conserved and in physical contact with mutation-intolerant genes, many of which have neurodevelopmental functions. Risk-associated enhancers are also AT-rich and contain binding sites for neurodevelopmental transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex M. Casella
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Medical Scientist Training Program, UMSOM, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Carlo Colantuoni
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Seth A. Ament
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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23
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Genetic variations in evolutionary accelerated regions disrupt cognition in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2022; 314:114586. [PMID: 35623238 PMCID: PMC10150587 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Cognition is believed to be a product of human evolution, while schizophrenia is ascribed as the by-product with cognitive impairment as it's genetically mediated endophenotype. Genomic loci associated with these traits are enriched with recent evolutionary markers such as Human accelerated regions (HARs). HARs are markedly different in humans since their divergence with chimpanzees and mostly regulate gene expression by binding to transcription factors and/or modulating chromatin interactions. We hypothesize that variants within HARs may alter such functions and thus contribute to disease pathogenesis. 49 systematically prioritized variants from 2737 genome-wide HARs were genotyped in a north-Indian schizophrenia cohort (331 cases, 235 controls). Six variants were significantly associated with cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, thirteen with general cognition in healthy individuals. These variants were mapped to 122 genes; predicted to alter 79 transcription factors binding sites and overlapped with promoters, enhancers and/or repressors. These genes and TFs are implicated in neurocognitive phenotypes, autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders; a few are targets of common or repurposable antipsychotics suggesting their draggability; and enriched for immune response and brain developmental pathways. Immune response has been more strongly targeted by natural selection during human evolution and has a prominent role in neurodevelopment. Thus, its disruption may have deleterious consequences for neuronal and cognitive functions. Importantly, among the 15 associated SNPs, 12 showed association in several independent GWASs of different neurocognitive functions. Further analysis of HARs may be valuable to understand their role in cognition biology and identify improved therapeutics for schizophrenia.
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24
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Cheung JP, Tubbs JD, Sham PC. Extended gene set analysis of human neuro-psychiatric traits shows enrichment in brain-expressed human accelerated regions across development. Schizophr Res 2022; 246:148-155. [PMID: 35779326 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Human neuropsychiatric disorders are associated with genetic and environmental factors affecting the brain, which has been subjected to strong evolutionary pressures resulting in an enlarged cerebral cortex and improved cognitive performance. Thus, genes involved in human brain evolution may also play a role in neuropsychiatric disorders. We test whether genes associated with 7 neuropsychiatric phenotypes are enriched in genomic regions that have experienced rapid changes in human evolution (HARs) and importantly, whether HAR status interacts with developmental brain expression to predict associated genes. We used the most recent publicly available GWAS and gene expression data to test for enrichment of HARs, brain expression, and their interaction. These revealed significant interactions between HAR status and whole-brain expression across developmental stages, indicating that the relationship between brain expression and association with schizophrenia and intelligence is stronger among HAR than non-HAR genes. Follow-up regional analyses indicated that predicted HAR-expression interaction effects may vary substantially across regions and developmental stages. Although depression indicated significant enrichment of HAR genes, little support was found for HAR enrichment among bipolar, autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's associated genes. Our results indicate that intelligence, schizophrenia, and depression-associated genes are enriched for those involved in the evolution of the human brain. These findings highlight promising candidates for follow-up study and considerations for novel drug development, but also caution careful assessment of the translational ability of animal models for studying neuropsychiatric traits in the context of HARs, and the importance of using humanized animal models or human-derived tissues when researching these traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin P Cheung
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Justin D Tubbs
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Pak C Sham
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Centre for PanorOmic Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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25
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Erady C, Amin K, Onilogbo TOAE, Tomasik J, Jukes-Jones R, Umrania Y, Bahn S, Prabakaran S. Novel open reading frames in human accelerated regions and transposable elements reveal new leads to understand schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:1455-1468. [PMID: 34937870 PMCID: PMC9095477 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01405-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder are debilitating neuropsychiatric disorders arising from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Novel open reading frames (nORFs) are genomic loci that give rise to previously uncharacterized transcripts and protein products. In our previous work, we have shown that nORFs can be biologically regulated and that they may play a role in cancer and rare diseases. More importantly, we have shown that nORFs may emerge in accelerated regions of the genome giving rise to species-specific functions. We hypothesize that nORFs represent a potentially important group of biological factors that may contribute to SCZ and bipolar disorder pathophysiology. Human accelerated regions (HARs) are genomic features showing human-lineage-specific rapid evolution that may be involved in biological regulation and have additionally been found to associate with SCZ genes. Transposable elements (TEs) are another set of genomic features that have been shown to regulate gene expression. As with HARs, their relevance to SCZ has also been suggested. Here, nORFs are investigated in the context of HARs and TEs. This work shows that nORFs whose expression is disrupted in SCZ and bipolar disorder are in close proximity to HARs and TEs and that some of them are significantly associated with SCZ and bipolar disorder genomic hotspots. We also show that nORF encoded proteins can form structures and potentially constitute novel drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaitanya Erady
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH UK
| | - Krishna Amin
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH UK
| | - Temiloluwa O. A. E. Onilogbo
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH UK ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jakub Tomasik
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rebekah Jukes-Jones
- grid.9918.90000 0004 1936 8411Leicester Cancer Research Centre, RKCSB, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH UK
| | - Yagnesh Umrania
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Cambridge Centre for Proteomics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR UK
| | - Sabine Bahn
- grid.5335.00000000121885934Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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26
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Liu J, Mosti F, Silver DL. Human brain evolution: Emerging roles for regulatory DNA and RNA. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 71:170-177. [PMID: 34861533 PMCID: PMC8756680 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Humans diverge from other primates in numerous ways, including their neuroanatomy and cognitive capacities. Human-specific features are particularly prominent in the cerebral cortex, which has undergone an expansion in size and acquired unique cellular composition and circuitry. Human-specific gene expression is postulated to explain neocortical anatomical differences across evolution. In particular, noncoding regulatory loci are strongly linked to human traits, including progenitor proliferation and cortical size. In this review, we highlight emerging noncoding elements implicated in human cortical evolution, including roles for regulatory DNA and RNA. Further, we discuss the association of human-specific genetic changes with neurodevelopmental diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Federica Mosti
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Debra L Silver
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Regeneration Center and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 277710, USA.
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27
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Mosti F, Silver DL. Uncovering the HARbingers of human brain evolution. Neuron 2021; 109:3231-3233. [PMID: 34672980 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
During evolution, humans acquired extensive genomic changes that collectively define unique features of our species, yet functions for these sequence variants are largely unknown. In this issue of Neuron, Girskis et al. comprehensively screen human accelerated regions (HARs) for enhancer activity in human-specific cortical development, creating a valuable online resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Mosti
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Debra L Silver
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and Duke Regeneration Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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28
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Gregory MD, Eisenberg DP, Hamborg M, Kippenhan JS, Kohn P, Kolachana B, Dickinson D, Berman KF. Neanderthal-derived genetic variation in living humans relates to schizophrenia diagnosis, to psychotic symptom severity, and to dopamine synthesis. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2021; 186:329-338. [PMID: 34487600 PMCID: PMC8454493 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia has been hypothesized to be a human-specific condition, but experimental approaches to testing this idea have been limited. Because Neanderthals, our closest evolutionary relatives, interbred with modern humans prior to their disappearance from the fossil record, leaving a residual echo that survives in our DNA today, we leveraged new discoveries about ancient hominid DNA to explore this hypothesis in living people in three converging ways. First, in four independent case-control datasets totaling 9,362 individuals, individuals with schizophrenia had less Neanderthal-derived genetic variation than controls (p = .044). Second, in 49 unmedicated inpatients with schizophrenia, having more Neanderthal admixture predicted less severe positive symptoms (p = .046). Finally, using 18 F-fluorodopa PET scanning in 172 healthy individuals, having greater Neanderthal introgression was significantly associated with lower dopamine synthesis capacity in the striatum and pons (p's < 2 × 10-5 ), which is fundamentally important in the pathophysiology and treatment of psychosis. These results may help to elucidate the evolutionary history of a devastating neuropsychiatric disease by supporting the notion of schizophrenia as a human-specific condition. Additionally, the relationship between Neanderthal admixture and dopamine function suggests a potential mechanism whereby Neanderthal admixture may have affected our gene pool to alter schizophrenia risk and/or course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Gregory
- Section on Integrative Neuroimaging, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Daniel P. Eisenberg
- Section on Integrative Neuroimaging, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Madeline Hamborg
- Section on Integrative Neuroimaging, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - J. Shane Kippenhan
- Section on Integrative Neuroimaging, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Philip Kohn
- Section on Integrative Neuroimaging, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Bhaskar Kolachana
- Human Brain Collection Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dwight Dickinson
- Psychosis and Cognitive Studies Section, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Karen F. Berman
- Section on Integrative Neuroimaging, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Psychosis and Cognitive Studies Section, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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29
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Trifu SC, Vlăduţi A, Trifu AI. Genetic aspects in schizophrenia. Receptoral theories. Metabolic theories. ROMANIAN JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY AND EMBRYOLOGY 2021; 61:25-32. [PMID: 32747892 PMCID: PMC7728101 DOI: 10.47162/rjme.61.1.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Ties between schizophrenia (SCZ) and genetics are undeniably significant issue prone to be discussed in the nowadays psychology. Recent research on this domain focuses more on specific genes and heredity (specifically monozygotic pairs of twins) for diagnosing SCZ, than on environmental influences. SCZ is considered a multifactorial disease, thought to convert from a merger of risk and biological genes and environmental factors that could alter and reshape the trajectory of brain development. On this regard, this review sums up recent and innovative methods of distinguishing schizophrenic features from other mental illnesses in patients, based on chromosomal and genes changes. The term “reverse genetics” is no longer up to date, being replaced with “genome scanning” and “positional cloning”. For many researchers, genome scanning is continuing the reverse of the sensible strategy for detecting various important biological disorders, which may start from the discovery of a protein or any other molecule involved in a biological process, being followed by its gene cloning. Genes being discovered in this manner could become candidate genes for the disease. However, genome scanning occurs through testing each chromosomal segment (or mitochondrial genome) for the counter transmission of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Corina Trifu
- Department of Neurosciences, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania;
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30
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Kwon SB, Ernst J. Single-nucleotide conservation state annotation of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Commun Biol 2021; 4:698. [PMID: 34083758 PMCID: PMC8175581 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02231-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the global impact and severity of COVID-19, there is a pressing need for a better understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and mutations. Multi-strain sequence alignments of coronaviruses (CoV) provide important information for interpreting the genome and its variation. We apply a comparative genomics method, ConsHMM, to the multi-strain alignments of CoV to annotate every base of the SARS-CoV-2 genome with conservation states based on sequence alignment patterns among CoV. The learned conservation states show distinct enrichment patterns for genes, protein domains, and other regions of interest. Certain states are strongly enriched or depleted of SARS-CoV-2 mutations, which can be used to predict potentially consequential mutations. We expect the conservation states to be a resource for interpreting the SARS-CoV-2 genome and mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo Bin Kwon
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jason Ernst
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Computer Science Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Computational Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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31
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Tan X, Liu Y, Liu Y, Zhang T, Cong S. Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs and their mechanisms in Huntington's disease. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:2074-2090. [PMID: 34031910 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Extensive alterations in gene regulatory networks are a typical characteristic of Huntington's disease (HD); these include alterations in protein-coding genes and poorly understood non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which are associated with pathology caused by mutant huntingtin. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are an important class of ncRNAs involved in a variety of biological functions, including transcriptional regulation and post-transcriptional modification of many targets, and likely contributed to the pathogenesis of HD. While a number of changes in lncRNAs expression have been observed in HD, little is currently known about their functions. Here, we discuss their possible mechanisms and molecular functions, with a particular focus on their roles in transcriptional regulation. These findings give us a better insight into HD pathogenesis and may provide new targets for the treatment of this neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Tan
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
| | - Taiming Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
| | - Shuyan Cong
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
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32
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Bhattacharyya U, Deshpande SN, Bhatia T, Thelma BK. Revisiting Schizophrenia from an Evolutionary Perspective: An Association Study of Recent Evolutionary Markers and Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2021; 47:827-836. [PMID: 33350444 PMCID: PMC8759809 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The persistence of schizophrenia in human populations at a high prevalence and with a large heritability estimate despite reduced fertility and increased mortality rate is a Darwinian paradox. This may be likely if the genomic components that predispose to schizophrenia are also advantageous for the acquisition of important human traits, such as language and cognition. Accordingly, an emerging group of genomic markers of recent evolution in humans, namely human accelerated regions (HARs), since our divergence from chimpanzees, are gaining importance for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia. We hypothesize that variants within HARs may affect the expression of genes under their control, thus contributing to disease etiology. A total of 49 HAR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were prioritized from the complete repertoire of HARs (n = 2737) based on their functional relevance and prevalence in the South Asian population. Test of association using 2 independent schizophrenia case-control cohorts of north Indian ethnicity (discovery: n = 930; replication: n = 1104) revealed 3 SNPs (rs3800926, rs3801844, and rs764453) from chromosome 7 and rs77047799 from chromosome 3 to be significantly associated (combined analysis: Bonferroni corrected P < .002-.000004). Of note, these SNPs were found to alter the expression of neurodevelopmental genes such as SLC25A13, MAD1L1, and ULK4; a few from the HOX gene family; and a few genes that are implicated in mitochondrial function. These SNPs may most likely alter binding sites of transcription factors, including TFCP2, MAFK, SREBF2, E2F1, and/or methylation signatures around these genes. These findings reiterate a neurodevelopmental basis of schizophrenia and also open up a promising avenue to investigate HAR-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction in schizophrenia etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - B K Thelma
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
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33
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Chen Z, Zhang D, Reynolds RH, Gustavsson EK, García-Ruiz S, D'Sa K, Fairbrother-Browne A, Vandrovcova J, Hardy J, Houlden H, Gagliano Taliun SA, Botía J, Ryten M. Human-lineage-specific genomic elements are associated with neurodegenerative disease and APOE transcript usage. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2076. [PMID: 33824317 PMCID: PMC8024253 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22262-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of genomic features specific to the human lineage may provide insights into brain-related diseases. We leverage high-depth whole genome sequencing data to generate a combined annotation identifying regions simultaneously depleted for genetic variation (constrained regions) and poorly conserved across primates. We propose that these constrained, non-conserved regions (CNCRs) have been subject to human-specific purifying selection and are enriched for brain-specific elements. We find that CNCRs are depleted from protein-coding genes but enriched within lncRNAs. We demonstrate that per-SNP heritability of a range of brain-relevant phenotypes are enriched within CNCRs. We find that genes implicated in neurological diseases have high CNCR density, including APOE, highlighting an unannotated intron-3 retention event. Using human brain RNA-sequencing data, we show the intron-3-retaining transcript to be more abundant in Alzheimer's disease with more severe tau and amyloid pathological burden. Thus, we demonstrate potential association of human-lineage-specific sequences in brain development and neurological disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongbo Chen
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - David Zhang
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Regina H Reynolds
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Emil K Gustavsson
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sonia García-Ruiz
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Karishma D'Sa
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Aine Fairbrother-Browne
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jana Vandrovcova
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - John Hardy
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- Reta Lila Weston Institute, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
- Institute for Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Henry Houlden
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Sarah A Gagliano Taliun
- Department of Medicine & Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Montréal Heart Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Juan Botía
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
- Departamento de Ingeniería de la Información y las Comunicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Mina Ryten
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK.
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
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34
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Causal cognitive architecture 1: Integration of connectionist elements into a navigation-based framework. COGN SYST RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogsys.2020.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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35
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Ijichi S, Kawaike Y, Ijichi N, Ijichi Y, Hirakata M, Yamaguchi Y, Kamachi A, Imamura C, Fushuku S, Nagata J, Tanuma R, Sameshima H, Morioka H. Hypothetical novel simulations to explain the evolutionary survival of the hypo-reproductive extreme tail in the complex human diversity. Biosystems 2021; 204:104393. [PMID: 33640397 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Hierarchical structures which lie hidden between human complex conditions and reproductivity cannot be simple, and trends of each population component does not necessarily pertain to evolutionary theories. As an illustration, the fitness of individuals with heritable extreme conditions can be low across continuing generations in observational data. Autism and schizophrenia are characterized by such evolutionary paradox of survival and hypo-reproductivity in the complex human diversity. Theoretical mechanisms for the observational fact were evaluated using a simple formula which was established to simulate stochastic epistasis-mediated phenotypic diversity. The survival of the hypo-reproductive extreme tail could be imitated just by the predominant presence of stochastic epistasis mechanism, suggesting that stochastic epistasis might be a genetic prerequisite for the evolutionary paradox. As supplemental cofactors of stochastic epistasis, a random link of the extreme tail to both un- and hyper-reproductivity and group assortative mating were shown to be effective for the paradox. Especially, the mixed localization of un- and hyper-reproductivity in the tail of a generational population evidently induced the continuous survival of outliers and extremes. These hypothetical considerations and mathematical simulations may suggest the significance of stochastic epistasis as the essential genetic background of complex human diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Ijichi
- Health Service Center, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan; Institute for Externalization of Gifts and Talents, Kagoshima, Japan.
| | - Yoichi Kawaike
- Health Service Center, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Naomi Ijichi
- Institute for Externalization of Gifts and Talents, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Yukina Ijichi
- Institute for Externalization of Gifts and Talents, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Mai Hirakata
- Health Service Center, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Yuka Yamaguchi
- Health Service Center, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Akiyo Kamachi
- Health Service Center, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Chikako Imamura
- Support Center for Students with Disabilities, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Sayuri Fushuku
- Health Service Center, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Junko Nagata
- Health Service Center, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Rie Tanuma
- Health Service Center, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
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36
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Benton ML, Abraham A, LaBella AL, Abbot P, Rokas A, Capra JA. The influence of evolutionary history on human health and disease. Nat Rev Genet 2021; 22:269-283. [PMID: 33408383 PMCID: PMC7787134 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-020-00305-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Nearly all genetic variants that influence disease risk have human-specific origins; however, the systems they influence have ancient roots that often trace back to evolutionary events long before the origin of humans. Here, we review how advances in our understanding of the genetic architectures of diseases, recent human evolution and deep evolutionary history can help explain how and why humans in modern environments become ill. Human populations exhibit differences in the prevalence of many common and rare genetic diseases. These differences are largely the result of the diverse environmental, cultural, demographic and genetic histories of modern human populations. Synthesizing our growing knowledge of evolutionary history with genetic medicine, while accounting for environmental and social factors, will help to achieve the promise of personalized genomics and realize the potential hidden in an individual's DNA sequence to guide clinical decisions. In short, precision medicine is fundamentally evolutionary medicine, and integration of evolutionary perspectives into the clinic will support the realization of its full potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Lauren Benton
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.252890.40000 0001 2111 2894Department of Computer Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX USA
| | - Abin Abraham
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Abigail L. LaBella
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Patrick Abbot
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Antonis Rokas
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - John A. Capra
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA USA
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37
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Úbeda Y, Fatjó J, Rostán C, Crailsheim D, Gomara A, Almunia J, Llorente M. A preliminary investigation on the evaluation of psychopathologies in a group of ex-pet and ex-performer chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): A rating approach based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). J Vet Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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38
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Ma N, Zhang W, Wan J. Research Progress on circRNA in Nervous System Diseases. Curr Alzheimer Res 2020; 17:687-697. [DOI: 10.2174/1567205017666201111114928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a kind of non-coding RNA molecule with highly stable circular
structures. CircRNAs are primarily composed of exons and/or introns. Recently, a lot of exciting
studies showed that circRNA played an essential role in the development of nervous system diseases.
Here, classification, characteristics, biogenesis, and the association of circRNA dysregulation with nervous
system diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are summarized. The review not only contributes to a
better understanding of circRNAs, but also provides new research directions toward the diagnosis, treatment,
and prevention of nervous system diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Ma
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Neuronal Structural Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Neuronal Structural Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Jun Wan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Neuronal Structural Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen Peking University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Medical Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
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39
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Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Overstreet C, Tylee DS, Gelernter J, Atkinson EG, Polimanti R. Characterizing the effect of background selection on the polygenicity of brain-related traits. Genomics 2020; 113:111-119. [PMID: 33278486 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have demonstrated that psychopathology phenotypes are affected by many risk alleles with small effect (polygenicity). It is unclear how ubiquitously evolutionary pressures influence the genetic architecture of these traits. METHODS We partitioned SNP heritability to assess the contribution of background (BGS) and positive selection, Neanderthal local ancestry, functional significance, and genotype networks in 75 brain-related traits (8411 ≤ N ≤ 1,131,181, mean N = 205,289). We applied binary annotations by dichotomizing each measure based on top 2%, 1%, and 0.5% of all scores genome-wide. Effect size distribution features were calculated using GENESIS. We tested the relationship between effect size distribution descriptive statistics and natural selection. In a subset of traits, we explore the inclusion of diagnostic heterogeneity (e.g., number of diagnostic combinations and total symptoms) in the tested relationship. RESULTS SNP-heritability was enriched (false discovery rate q < 0.05) for loci with elevated BGS (7 phenotypes) and in genic (34 phenotypes) and loss-of-function (LoF)-intolerant regions (67 phenotypes). These effects were strongest in GWAS of schizophrenia (1.90-fold BGS, 1.16-fold genic, and 1.92-fold LoF), educational attainment (1.86-fold BGS, 1.12-fold genic, and 1.79-fold LoF), and cognitive performance (2.29-fold BGS, 1.12-fold genic, and 1.79-fold LoF). BGS (top 2%) significantly predicted effect size variance for trait-associated loci (σ2 parameter) in 75 brain-related traits (β = 4.39 × 10-5, p = 1.43 × 10-5, model r2 = 0.548). Considering the number of DSM-5 diagnostic combinations per psychiatric disorder improved model fit (σ2 ~ BTop2% × Genic × diagnostic combinations; model r2 = 0.661). CONCLUSIONS Brain-related phenotypes with larger variance in risk locus effect sizes are associated with loci under BGS. We show exploratory results suggesting that diagnostic complexity may also contribute to the increased polygenicity of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank R Wendt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Gita A Pathak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Cassie Overstreet
- National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Clinical Neurosciences Division, VA CT Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Daniel S Tylee
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516, USA; Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Elizabeth G Atkinson
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
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40
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Kwon SB, Ernst J. Single-nucleotide conservation state annotation of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2020:2020.07.13.201277. [PMID: 32699851 PMCID: PMC7373132 DOI: 10.1101/2020.07.13.201277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Given the global impact and severity of COVID-19, there is a pressing need for a better understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and mutations. Multi-strain sequence alignments of coronaviruses (CoV) provide important information for interpreting the genome and its variation. We apply a comparative genomics method, ConsHMM, to the multi-strain alignments of CoV to annotate every base of the SARS-CoV-2 genome with conservation states based on sequence alignment patterns among CoV. The learned conservation states show distinct enrichment patterns for genes, protein domains, and other regions of interest. Certain states are strongly enriched or depleted of SARS-CoV-2 mutations, which can be used to predict potentially consequential mutations. We expect the conservation states to be a resource for interpreting the SARS-CoV-2 genome and mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo Bin Kwon
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jason Ernst
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Computer Science Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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41
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Smeland OB, Frei O, Dale AM, Andreassen OA. The polygenic architecture of schizophrenia — rethinking pathogenesis and nosology. Nat Rev Neurol 2020; 16:366-379. [DOI: 10.1038/s41582-020-0364-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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42
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van den Heuvel MP, Scholtens LH, de Lange SC, Pijnenburg R, Cahn W, van Haren NEM, Sommer IE, Bozzali M, Koch K, Boks MP, Repple J, Pievani M, Li L, Preuss TM, Rilling JK. Evolutionary modifications in human brain connectivity associated with schizophrenia. Brain 2020; 142:3991-4002. [PMID: 31724729 PMCID: PMC6906591 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The genetic basis and human-specific character of schizophrenia has led to the hypothesis that human brain evolution may have played a role in the development of the disorder. We examined schizophrenia-related changes in brain connectivity in the context of evolutionary changes in human brain wiring by comparing in vivo neuroimaging data from humans and chimpanzees, one of our closest living evolutionary relatives and a species with which we share a very recent common ancestor. We contrasted the connectome layout between the chimpanzee and human brain and compared differences with the pattern of schizophrenia-related changes in brain connectivity as observed in patients. We show evidence of evolutionary modifications of human brain connectivity to significantly overlap with the cortical pattern of schizophrenia-related dysconnectivity (P < 0.001, permutation testing). We validated these effects in three additional, independent schizophrenia datasets. We further assessed the specificity of effects by examining brain dysconnectivity patterns in seven other psychiatric and neurological brain disorders (including, among others, major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, arguably characterized by behavioural symptoms that are less specific to humans), which showed no such associations with modifications of human brain connectivity. Comparisons of brain connectivity across humans, chimpanzee and macaques further suggest that features of connectivity that evolved in the human lineage showed the strongest association to the disorder, that is, brain circuits potentially related to human evolutionary specializations. Taken together, our findings suggest that human-specific features of connectome organization may be enriched for changes in brain connectivity related to schizophrenia. Modifications in human brain connectivity in service of higher order brain functions may have potentially also rendered the brain vulnerable to brain dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn P van den Heuvel
- Connectome Lab, Department of Complex Traits Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lianne H Scholtens
- Connectome Lab, Department of Complex Traits Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Siemon C de Lange
- Connectome Lab, Department of Complex Traits Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rory Pijnenburg
- Connectome Lab, Department of Complex Traits Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wiepke Cahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | - Neeltje E M van Haren
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Iris E Sommer
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.,Department of Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marco Bozzali
- Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex, UK.,Neuroimaging Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Kathrin Koch
- Department of Neuroradiology and TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences GSN, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Biocenter, Munich, Germany
| | - Marco P Boks
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan Repple
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Michela Pievani
- Lab Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Longchuan Li
- Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Todd M Preuss
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - James K Rilling
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Anthropology, Emory University, 1557 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.,Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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43
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Yao Y, Yang J, Xie Y, Liao H, Yang B, Xu Q, Rao S. No Evidence for Widespread Positive Selection Signatures in Common Risk Alleles Associated with Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2020; 46:603-611. [PMID: 31150552 PMCID: PMC7147583 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbz048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia poses an evolutionary-genetic paradox as it exhibits strongly negative fitness effects (early mortality and decreased fecundity), yet it persists at a prevalence of approximately 1% worldwide. Evidence from several studies have suggested that schizophrenia is evolved and maintained in part as a maladaptive byproduct of recent positive selection and adaptive evolution in human beings. However, inconsistent results have been also proposed, challenging the recent positive selection theory to explain the high population frequency of schizophrenia-associated alleles. Here, we used public domain data to locate signatures of positive selection based on genetic diversity, derived allele frequency, differentiation between populations, and long haplotypes at schizophrenia-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and randomly selected SNPs (as negative controls). We found evidence for positive selection at 10 out of the 105 schizophrenia-associated SNPs, while 5 of these SNPs involved positive selection for the protective allele. Taken together, the absence of widespread positive selection signals at the schizophrenia-associated SNPs, along with the fact that half of the positive selection favored the protective allele, provide little evidence supporting the positive selection theory in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China,School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China,School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Jia Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yimin Xie
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Hai Liao
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Baoying Yang
- College of Mathematics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shuquan Rao
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China,State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China,To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: +86 28 87603202; fax: +86 28 87603202; e-mail:
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44
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Chu XY, Quan Y, Zhang HY. Human accelerated genome regions with value in medical genetics and drug discovery. Drug Discov Today 2020; 25:821-827. [PMID: 32156545 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2020.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Accumulated evolutionary knowledge not only benefits our understanding of the pathogenesis of diseases, but also help in the search for new drug targets. This is further supported by the recent finding that human accelerated regions (HARs) identified by comparative genomic studies are linked to human neural system evolution and are also associated with neurological disorders. Here, we analyze the associations between HARs and diseases and drugs. We found that 32.42% of approved drugs target at least one HAR gene, which is higher than the ratio of in-research drugs. More interestingly, HAR gene-targeted drugs are most significantly enriched with agents treating neurological disorders. Thus, HAR genes have important implications in medical genetics and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Yi Chu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China
| | - Yuan Quan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China
| | - Hong-Yu Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
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45
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Xiang B, Yang J, Zhang J, Yu M, Huang C, He W, Lei W, Chen J, Liu K. The role of genes affected by human evolution marker GNA13 in schizophrenia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 98:109764. [PMID: 31676466 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Numerous variants associated with increased risk for SCZ have undergone positive selection and were associated with human brain development, but which brain regions and developmental stages were influenced by the positive selection for SCZ risk alleles are unclear. We analyzed SCZ using summary statistics from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC). Machine-learning scores were used to investigate two natural-selection scenarios: complete selection (loci where a selected allele has reached fixation) and incomplete selection (loci where a selected allele has not yet reached fixation). Based on the p value of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with selection scores in the top 5%, we formed five subgroups: p < 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.05, or 0.1. We found that 48 and 29 genes (p < 0.0001) in complete and incomplete selection, respectively, were enrichedfor the transcriptionalco-expressionprofilein theprenatal dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DFC), inferior parietal cortex (IPC), and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VFC). Core genes (GNA13, TBC1D19, and ZMYM4) involved in regulating early brain development were identified in these three brain regions. RNA sequencing for primary cortical neurons that were transfected Gna13 overexpressed lentivirus demonstrated that 135 gene expression levels changed in the Gna13 overexpressed groups compared with the controls. Gene-set analysis identified important associations among common variants of these 13 genes, which were associated with neurodevelopment and putamen volume [p = 0.031; family-wise error correction (FWEC)], SCZ (p = 0.022; FWEC). The study indicate that certain SCZ risk alleles were likely to undergo positive selection during human evolution due to their involvement in the development of prenatal DFC, IPC and VFC, and suggest that SCZ is related to abnormal neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Xiang
- Department of Psychiatry, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China.
| | - Juanjuan Yang
- Department of cell Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Minglan Yu
- Medical Laboratory Center, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Chaohua Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Wenying He
- Department of Psychiatry, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Wei Lei
- Department of Psychiatry, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Kezhi Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China.
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46
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Castelijns B, Baak ML, Timpanaro IS, Wiggers CRM, Vermunt MW, Shang P, Kondova I, Geeven G, Bianchi V, de Laat W, Geijsen N, Creyghton MP. Hominin-specific regulatory elements selectively emerged in oligodendrocytes and are disrupted in autism patients. Nat Commun 2020; 11:301. [PMID: 31949148 PMCID: PMC6965079 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-14269-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Speciation is associated with substantial rewiring of the regulatory circuitry underlying the expression of genes. Determining which changes are relevant and underlie the emergence of the human brain or its unique susceptibility to neural disease has been challenging. Here we annotate changes to gene regulatory elements (GREs) at cell type resolution in the brains of multiple primate species spanning most of primate evolution. We identify a unique set of regulatory elements that emerged in hominins prior to the separation of humans and chimpanzees. We demonstrate that these hominin gains perferentially affect oligodendrocyte function postnatally and are preferentially affected in the brains of autism patients. This preference is also observed for human-specific GREs suggesting this system is under continued selective pressure. Our data provide a roadmap of regulatory rewiring across primate evolution providing insight into the genomic changes that underlie the emergence of the brain and its susceptibility to neural disease. The understanding of the changes regulating gene expression relevant for the emergence of the human brain and its susceptibility to disease is limited. Here, the authors identified a set of regulatory elements that evolved in hominins affecting oligodendrocyte function, and link these to autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bas Castelijns
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mirna L Baak
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ilia S Timpanaro
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Caroline R M Wiggers
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Division of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 XC, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marit W Vermunt
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Peng Shang
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ivanela Kondova
- Biomedical Primate Research Center, Lange Kleiweg 161, 2288 GJ, Rijswijk, The Netherlands
| | - Geert Geeven
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Valerio Bianchi
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter de Laat
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Niels Geijsen
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Menno P Creyghton
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands. .,Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Wytemaweg 80, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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47
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Nesic MJ, Stojkovic B, Maric NP. On the origin of schizophrenia: Testing evolutionary theories in the post-genomic era. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2019; 73:723-730. [PMID: 31525268 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Considering the relatively high heritability of schizophrenia and the fact that it significantly reduces the reproductive fitness of affected individuals, it is not clear how the disorder is still maintained in human populations at a disproportionally high prevalence. Many theories propose that the disorder is a result of a trade-off between costs and benefits of the evolution of exclusively human adaptations. There have also been suggestions that schizophrenia risk alleles are accompanied with increase in fitness of affected persons or their relatives in both past and current social contexts. The discoveries of novel schizophrenia-related genes and the advancements in comparative genomics (especially comparisons of the human genome and the genomes of related species, such as chimpanzees and extinct hominids) have finally made certain evolutionary theories testable. In this paper, we review the current understanding of the genetics of schizophrenia, the basic principles of evolution that complement our understanding of the subject, and the latest genetic studies that examine long-standing evolutionary theories of schizophrenia using novel methodologies and data. We find that the origin of schizophrenia is complex and likely governed by different evolutionary mechanisms that are not mutually exclusive. Furthermore, the most recent evidence implies that schizophrenia cannot be comprehended as a trait that has elevated fitness in human evolutionary lineage, but has been a mildly deleterious by-product of specific patterns of the evolution of the human brain. In other words, novel findings do not support previous hypotheses stating that schizophrenia risk genes have an evolutionary advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica J Nesic
- Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Biljana Stojkovic
- Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research 'Siniša Stanković', University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nadja P Maric
- Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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48
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Th17 and MAIT cell mediated inflammation in antipsychotic free schizophrenia patients. Schizophr Res 2019; 212:47-53. [PMID: 31439420 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The immune hypothesis of schizophrenia has gained significant popularity in recent years in schizophrenia research. Evidence suggests that the peripheral immune system communicates with central nervous system and the effect propagates through microglial and lymphocyte crosstalk, especially during neuro-inflammation. Although, there is previous literature indicating changes in lymphocyte population in schizophrenia, detailed studies with respect to T and B cells are scarce. Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are functionally associated with the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. However, there is no information on the frequency of MAIT cells in schizophrenia. Hence, we investigated changes in proportions of T cells, B cells and MAIT cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from antipsychotic-free patients with schizophrenia in comparison to healthy controls. In line with earlier reports, we noted perturbations in Th17 cells. This study for the first time reports changes in frequencies of MAIT cells in a homogenous population of antipsychotic-free patients with schizophrenia. These changes, though not common across all patients nevertheless point to the fact that inflammation is prevalent in a significant subset of schizophrenia cases.
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49
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Guffanti G, Bartlett A, Klengel T, Klengel C, Hunter R, Glinsky G, Macciardi F. Novel Bioinformatics Approach Identifies Transcriptional Profiles of Lineage-Specific Transposable Elements at Distinct Loci in the Human Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 35:2435-2453. [PMID: 30053206 PMCID: PMC6188555 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of transposable elements (TE) is transiently activated during human preimplantation embryogenesis in a developmental stage- and cell type-specific manner and TE-mediated epigenetic regulation is intrinsically wired in developmental genetic networks in human embryos and embryonic stem cells. However, there are no systematic studies devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the TE transcriptome in human adult organs and tissues, including human neural tissues. To investigate TE expression in the human Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC), we developed and validated a straightforward analytical approach to chart quantitative genome-wide expression profiles of all annotated TE loci based on unambiguous mapping of discrete TE-encoded transcripts using a de novo assembly strategy. To initially evaluate the potential regulatory impact of DLPFC-expressed TE, we adopted a comparative evolutionary genomics approach across humans, primates, and rodents to document conservation patterns, lineage-specificity, and colocalizations with transcription factor binding sites mapped within primate- and human-specific TE. We identified 654,665 transcripts expressed from 477,507 distinct loci of different TE classes and families, the majority of which appear to have originated from primate-specific sequences. We discovered 4,687 human-specific and transcriptionally active TEs in DLPFC, of which the prominent majority (80.2%) appears spliced. Our analyses revealed significant associations of DLPFC-expressed TE with primate- and human-specific transcription factor binding sites, suggesting potential cross-talks of concordant regulatory functions. We identified 1,689 TEs differentially expressed in the DLPFC of Schizophrenia patients, a majority of which is located within introns of 1,137 protein-coding genes. Our findings imply that identified DLPFC-expressed TEs may affect human brain structures and functions following different evolutionary trajectories. On one side, hundreds of thousands of TEs maintained a remarkably high conservation for ∼8 My of primates’ evolution, suggesting that they are likely conveying evolutionary-constrained primate-specific regulatory functions. In parallel, thousands of transcriptionally active human-specific TE loci emerged more recently, suggesting that they could be relevant for human-specific behavioral or cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guia Guffanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA.,Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA
| | - Andrew Bartlett
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
| | - Torsten Klengel
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA.,Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Klengel
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA.,Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA
| | - Richard Hunter
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
| | - Gennadi Glinsky
- Translational & Functional Genomics, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Fabio Macciardi
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA
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50
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Doan RN, Shin T, Walsh CA. Evolutionary Changes in Transcriptional Regulation: Insights into Human Behavior and Neurological Conditions. Annu Rev Neurosci 2019; 41:185-206. [PMID: 29986162 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-080317-062104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the biological basis for human-specific cognitive traits presents both immense challenges and unique opportunities. Although the question of what makes us human has been investigated with several different methods, the rise of comparative genomics, epigenomics, and medical genetics has provided tools to help narrow down and functionally assess the regions of the genome that seem evolutionarily relevant along the human lineage. In this review, we focus on how medical genetic cases have provided compelling functional evidence for genes and loci that appear to have interesting evolutionary signatures in humans. Furthermore, we examine a special class of noncoding regions, human accelerated regions (HARs), that have been suggested to show human-lineage-specific divergence, and how the use of clinical and population data has started to provide functional information to examine these regions. Finally, we outline methods that provide new insights into functional noncoding sequences in evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan N Doan
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; .,Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Taehwan Shin
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; .,Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Christopher A Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; .,Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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