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Rautiala P, Gardner A. The geometry of evolutionary conflict. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222423. [PMID: 36750194 PMCID: PMC9904945 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2423] [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] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Conflicts of interest abound not only in human affairs but also in the biological realm. Evolutionary conflict occurs over multiple scales of biological organization, from genetic outlawry within genomes, to sibling rivalry within nuclear families, to collective-action disputes within societies. However, achieving a general understanding of the dynamics and consequences of evolutionary conflict remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we show that a development of R. A. Fisher's classic 'geometric model' of adaptation yields novel and surprising insights into the dynamics of evolutionary conflict and resulting maladaptation, including the discoveries that: (i) conflict can drive evolving traits arbitrarily far away from all parties' optima and, indeed, if all mutations are equally likely then contested traits are more often than not driven outwith the zone of actual conflict (hyper-maladaptation); (ii) evolutionary conflicts drive persistent maladaptation of orthogonal, non-contested traits (para-maladaptation); and (iii) modular design greatly ameliorates conflict-driven maladaptation, thereby facilitating major transitions in individuality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petri Rautiala
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Greenside Place, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Andy Gardner
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Greenside Place, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK
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Crespi B, Yang N. Three laws of teleonometrics. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
We define teleonometrics as the theoretical and empirical study of teleonomy. We propose three laws for teleonometrics. The first law describes the hierarchical organization of teleonomic functions across biological levels from genes to individuals. According to this law, the number of goal-directed functions increases from individuals (one goal, maximizing inclusive fitness) to intermediate levels and to genes and alleles (myriad time-, space- and context-dependent goals, depending upon degrees and patterns of pleiotropy). The second law describes the operation of teleonomic functions under trade-offs, coadaptations and negative and positive pleiotropies, which are universal in biological systems. According to this law, the functions of an allele, gene or trait are described and defined by patterns of antagonistic (trading off) and compatible (coadapted) functions. The third law of teleonometrics is that the major transitions in evolution are driven by the origins of novel, emergent goals associated with functional changes and by the breaking and reshaping of trade-offs, especially by mechanisms involving increases in resources or time, and new divisions of labour or function. We illustrate the application of these laws using data from three empirical vignettes, which help to show the usefulness of teleonometric viewpoints for understanding the interfaces between function, trade-offs and dysfunctions manifest as disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University , Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 , Canada
| | - Nancy Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University , Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6 , Canada
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Giangreco NP, Tatonetti NP. Evaluating risk detection methods to uncover ontogenic-mediated adverse drug effect mechanisms in children. BioData Min 2021; 14:34. [PMID: 34294093 PMCID: PMC8296590 DOI: 10.1186/s13040-021-00264-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying adverse drugs effects (ADEs) in children, overall and within pediatric age groups, is essential for preventing disability and death from marketed drugs. At the same time, however, detection is challenging due to dynamic biological processes during growth and maturation, called ontogeny, that alter pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. As a result, methodologies in pediatric drug safety have been limited to event surveillance and have not focused on investigating adverse event mechanisms. There is an opportunity to identify drug event patterns within observational databases for evaluating ontogenic-mediated adverse event mechanisms. The first step of which is to establish statistical models that can identify temporal trends of adverse effects across childhood. RESULTS Using simulation, we evaluated a population stratification method (the proportional reporting ratio or PRR) and a population modeling method (the generalized additive model or GAM) to identify and quantify ADE risk at varying reporting rates and dynamics. We found that GAMs showed improved performance over the PRR in detecting dynamic drug event reporting across child development stages. Moreover, GAMs exhibited normally distributed and robust ADE risk estimation at all development stages by sharing information across child development stages. CONCLUSIONS Our study underscores the opportunity for using population modeling techniques, which leverage drug event reporting across development stages, as biologically-inspired detection methods for evaluating ontogenic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P. Giangreco
- Departments of Systems Biology and Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, 622 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Nicholas P. Tatonetti
- Departments of Systems Biology and Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, 622 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032 USA
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Bressan P, Kramer P. Mental Health, Mitochondria, and the Battle of the Sexes. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9020116. [PMID: 33530498 PMCID: PMC7911591 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9020116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper presents a broad perspective on how mental disease relates to the different evolutionary strategies of men and women and to growth, metabolism, and mitochondria—the enslaved bacteria in our cells that enable it all. Several mental disorders strike one sex more than the other; yet what truly matters, regardless of one’s sex, is how much one’s brain is “female” and how much it is “male”. This appears to be the result of an arms race between the parents over how many resources their child ought to extract from the mother, hence whether it should grow a lot or stay small and undemanding. An uneven battle alters the child’s risk of developing not only insulin resistance, diabetes, or cancer, but a mental disease as well. Maternal supremacy increases the odds of a psychosis-spectrum disorder; paternal supremacy, those of an autism-spectrum one. And a particularly lopsided struggle may invite one or the other of a series of syndromes that come in pairs, with diametrically opposite, excessively “male” or “female” characteristics. By providing the means for this tug of war, mitochondria take center stage in steadying or upsetting the precarious balance on which our mental health is built.
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Giangreco NP, Elias JE, Tatonetti NP. No population left behind: Improving paediatric drug safety using informatics and systems biology. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2020; 88:1464-1470. [PMID: 33332641 PMCID: PMC8209126 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.14705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adverse drugs effects (ADEs) in children are common and may result in disability and death. The current paediatric drug safety landscape, including clinical trials, is limited as it rarely includes children and relies on extrapolation from adults. Children are not small adults but go through an evolutionarily conserved and physiologically dynamic process of growth and maturation. Novel quantitative approaches, integrating observations from clinical trials and drug safety databases with dynamic mechanisms, can be used to systematically identify ADEs unique to childhood. In this perspective, we discuss three critical research directions using systems biology methodologies and novel informatics to improve paediatric drug safety, namely child versus adult drug safety profiles, age-dependent drug toxicities and genetic susceptibility of ADEs across childhood. We argue that a data-driven framework that leverages observational data, biomedical knowledge and systems biology modelling will reveal previously unknown mechanisms of pediatric adverse drug events and lead to improved paediatric drug safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P Giangreco
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan E Elias
- Department of Pediatrics, Instructor in Pediatrics, Assistant Medical Director of Information Services, Weill Cornell Medical & NYP Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nicholas P Tatonetti
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Crespi BJ. Evolutionary and genetic insights for clinical psychology. Clin Psychol Rev 2020; 78:101857. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Crespi BJ. Why and How Imprinted Genes Drive Fetal Programming. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 10:940. [PMID: 32117048 PMCID: PMC7025584 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Imprinted genes mediate fetal and childhood growth and development, and early growth patterns drive fetal programming effects. However, predictions and evidence from the kinship theory of imprinting have yet to be directly integrated with data on fetal programming and risks of metabolic disease. I first define paternal-gene and maternal-gene optima with regard to early human growth and development. Next, I review salient evidence with regard to imprinted gene effects on birth weight, body composition, trajectories of feeding and growth, and timing of developmental stages, to evaluate why and how imprinted gene expression influences risks of metabolic disease in later life. I find that metabolic disease risks derive primarily from maternal gene biases that lead to reduced placental efficacy, low birth weight, low relative muscle mass, high relative white fat, increased abdominal adiposity, reduced pancreatic β-cell mass that promotes insulin resistance, reduced appetite and infant sucking efficacy, catch-up fat deposition from family foods after weaning, and early puberty. Paternal gene biases, by contrast, may contribute to metabolic disease via lower rates of brown fat thermiogenesis, and through favoring more rapid postnatal catch-up growth after intrauterine growth restriction from environmental causes. These disease risks can be alleviated through dietary and pharmacological alterations that selectively target imprinted gene expression and relevant metabolic pathways. The kinship theory of imprinting, and mother-offspring conflict more generally, provide a clear predictive framework for guiding future research on fetal programming and metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard J. Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences and Human Evolutionary Studies Program, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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Crespi BJ. Autism, psychosis, and genomic imprinting: recent discoveries and conundrums. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Rosa-Parra JA, Tamayo-Ortiz M, Lamadrid-Figueroa H, Cantoral-Preciado A, Montoya A, Wright RJ, Baccarelli AA, Just AC, Svensson K, Wright RO, Téllez-Rojo MM. Diurnal Cortisol Concentrations and Growth Indexes of 12- to 48-Month-Old Children From Mexico City. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2018; 103:3386-3393. [PMID: 30020462 PMCID: PMC6126882 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2018-00550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Early life cortisol plays an important role in bone, muscle, and fat mobilization processes, which could influence body composition, affecting anthropometric indicators such as weight and height. OBJECTIVE To explore the association between diurnal cortisol levels and growth indexes in children from 12 to 48 months of age. DESIGN This study includes data from 404 children from the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment and Social Stressors Mexican birth cohort. Cortisol was measured in eight saliva samples collected at four time points during the day (from wakeup to bedtime), over 2 days, when the child was either 12, 18, or 24 months old. Total daytime cortisol levels were calculated by averaging the area under the curve (AUC) for the 2 days. Height and weight were measured from 12 to 48 months of age. Growth indexes were constructed according to z scores following World Health Organization standards: weight-for-age z score (Z-WFA), height/length-for-age z score, weight-for-height/length z score (Z-WFH), and body mass index-for-age z score (Z-BMIFA). Mixed models were used to analyze the association between cortisol AUC quartiles and growth indexes. RESULTS Cortisol showed an inverted U-shaped association with the four growth indexes. Compared with the first quartile, all quartiles had a positive association with indexes that include weight, with the second quartile having the strongest association, resulting in an average change of β (95% CI) 0.38 (0.13-0.64) for Z-WFA, 0.36 (0.10-0.62) for Z-WFH, and 0.43 (0.17-0.69) for Z-BMIFA. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that early life daytime cortisol levels, as a reflection of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis development, might influence growth in early infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz
- National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
- National Council of Science and Technology, Mexico City, Mexico D.F., Mexico
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz, ScD, Center for Nutrition and Health Research, Universidad No. 655 Colonia Santa María, Ahuacatitlán, Cerrada Los Pinos y Caminera C.P. 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. E-mail:
| | | | - Alejandra Cantoral-Preciado
- National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
- National Council of Science and Technology, Mexico City, Mexico D.F., Mexico
| | | | | | | | - Allan C Just
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
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Dauber A, Cunha-Silva M, Macedo DB, Brito VN, Abreu AP, Roberts SA, Montenegro LR, Andrew M, Kirby A, Weirauch MT, Labilloy G, Bessa DS, Carroll RS, Jacobs DC, Chappell PE, Mendonca BB, Haig D, Kaiser UB, Latronico AC. Paternally Inherited DLK1 Deletion Associated With Familial Central Precocious Puberty. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2017; 102:1557-1567. [PMID: 28324015 PMCID: PMC5443333 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2016-3677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Central precocious puberty (CPP) results from premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Few genetic causes of CPP have been identified, with the most common being mutations in the paternally expressed imprinted gene MKRN3. OBJECTIVE To identify the genetic etiology of CPP in a large multigenerational family. DESIGN Linkage analysis followed by whole-genome sequencing was performed in a family with five female members with nonsyndromic CPP. Detailed phenotyping was performed at the time of initial diagnosis and long-term follow-up, and circulating levels of Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) were measured in affected individuals. Expression of DLK1 was measured in mouse hypothalamus and in kisspeptin-secreting neuronal cell lines in vitro. SETTING Endocrine clinic of an academic medical center. PATIENTS Patients with familial CPP were studied. RESULTS A complex defect of DLK1 (∼14-kb deletion and 269-bp duplication) was identified in this family. This deletion included the 5' untranslated region and the first exon of DLK1, including the translational start site. Only family members who inherited the defect from their father have precocious puberty, consistent with the known imprinting of DLK1. The patients did not demonstrate additional features of the imprinted disorder Temple syndrome except for increased fat mass. Serum DLK1 levels were undetectable in all affected individuals. Dlk1 was expressed in mouse hypothalamus and in kisspeptin neuron-derived cell lines. CONCLUSION We identified a genomic defect in DLK1 associated with isolated familial CPP. MKRN3 and DLK1 are both paternally expressed imprinted genes. These findings suggest a role of genomic imprinting in regulating the timing of human puberty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Dauber
- Cincinnati Center for Growth Disorders, Division of Endocrinology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
| | - Marina Cunha-Silva
- Unidade de Endocrinologia do Desenvolvimento, Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular/LIM42, Hospital das Clínicas, Disciplina de Endocrinologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-093, Brazil
| | - Delanie B. Macedo
- Unidade de Endocrinologia do Desenvolvimento, Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular/LIM42, Hospital das Clínicas, Disciplina de Endocrinologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-093, Brazil
| | - Vinicius N. Brito
- Unidade de Endocrinologia do Desenvolvimento, Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular/LIM42, Hospital das Clínicas, Disciplina de Endocrinologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-093, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Abreu
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Stephanie A. Roberts
- Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Luciana R. Montenegro
- Unidade de Endocrinologia do Desenvolvimento, Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular/LIM42, Hospital das Clínicas, Disciplina de Endocrinologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-093, Brazil
| | - Melissa Andrew
- Cincinnati Center for Growth Disorders, Division of Endocrinology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
| | - Andrew Kirby
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
| | - Matthew T. Weirauch
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Division of Biomedical Informatics and Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
| | - Guillaume Labilloy
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
| | - Danielle S. Bessa
- Unidade de Endocrinologia do Desenvolvimento, Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular/LIM42, Hospital das Clínicas, Disciplina de Endocrinologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-093, Brazil
| | - Rona S. Carroll
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Dakota C. Jacobs
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
| | - Patrick E. Chappell
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
| | - Berenice B. Mendonca
- Unidade de Endocrinologia do Desenvolvimento, Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular/LIM42, Hospital das Clínicas, Disciplina de Endocrinologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-093, Brazil
| | - David Haig
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - Ursula B. Kaiser
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Ana Claudia Latronico
- Unidade de Endocrinologia do Desenvolvimento, Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular/LIM42, Hospital das Clínicas, Disciplina de Endocrinologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-093, Brazil
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Haig D. Maternal-fetal conflict, genomic imprinting and mammalian vulnerabilities to cancer. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2014.0178. [PMID: 26056362 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Antagonistic coevolution between maternal and fetal genes, and between maternally and paternally derived genes may have increased mammalian vulnerability to cancer. Placental trophoblast has evolved to invade maternal tissues and evade structural and immunological constraints on its invasion. These adaptations can be co-opted by cancer in intrasomatic selection. Imprinted genes of maternal and paternal origin favour different degrees of proliferation of particular cell types in which they reside. As a result, the set of genes favouring greater proliferation will be selected to evade controls on cell-cycle progression imposed by the set of genes favouring lesser proliferation. The dynamics of stem cell populations will be a particular focus of this intragenomic conflict. Gene networks that are battlegrounds of intragenomic conflict are expected to be less robust than networks that evolve in the absence of conflict. By these processes, maternal-fetal and intragenomic conflicts may undermine evolved defences against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Haig
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Abstract
Much of cancer genetics research has focused on the identification of the most-important somatic mutations ('major drivers') that cause tumour growth. However, many mutations found in cancer might not be major drivers or 'passenger' mutations, but instead might have relatively weak tumour-promoting effects. Our aim is to highlight the existence of these mutations (termed 'mini drivers' herein), as multiple mini-driver mutations might substitute for a major-driver change, especially in the presence of genomic instability or high mutagen exposure. The mini-driver model has clinical implications: for example, the effects of therapeutically targeting such genes may be limited. However, the main importance of the model lies in helping to provide a complete understanding of tumorigenesis, especially as we anticipate that an increasing number of mini-driver mutations will be found by cancer genome sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesc Castro-Giner
- Molecular and Population Genetics Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Peter Ratcliffe
- Henry Wellcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Ian Tomlinson
- Molecular and Population Genetics Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
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Abstract
I present evidence that humans have evolved convergently to social insects with regard to a large suite of social, ecological, and reproductive phenotypes. Convergences between humans and social insects include: (1) groups with genetically and environmentally defined structures; (2) extensive divisions of labor; (3) specialization of a relatively restricted set of females for reproduction, with enhanced fertility; (4) extensive extramaternal care; (5) within-group food sharing; (6) generalized diets composed of high-nutrient-density food; (7) solicitous juveniles, but high rates of infanticide; (8) ecological dominance; (9) enhanced colonizing abilities; and (10) collective, cooperative decision-making. Most of these convergent phenotypic adaptations stem from reorganization of key life-history trade-offs due to behavioral, physiological, and life-historical specializations. Despite their extensive socioreproductive overlap with social insects, humans differ with regard to the central aspect of eusociality: reproductive division of labor. This difference may be underpinned by the high energetic costs of producing offspring with large brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, V5A 1S6,
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Mokkonen M, Crespi BJ. Genomic conflicts and sexual antagonism in human health: insights from oxytocin and testosterone. Evol Appl 2015; 8:307-25. [PMID: 25926877 PMCID: PMC4408143 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Revised: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We review the hypothesized and observed effects of two of the major forms of genomic conflicts, genomic imprinting and sexual antagonism, on human health. We focus on phenotypes mediated by peptide and steroid hormones (especially oxytocin and testosterone) because such hormones centrally mediate patterns of physical and behavioral resource allocation that underlie both forms of conflict. In early development, a suite of imprinted genes modulates the human oxytocinergic system as predicted from theory, with paternally inherited gene expression associated with higher oxytocin production, and increased solicitation to mothers by infants. This system is predicted to impact health through the incompatibility of paternal-gene and maternal-gene optima and increased vulnerability of imprinted gene systems to genetic and epigenetic changes. Early alterations to oxytocinergic systems have long-term negative impacts on human psychological health, especially through their effects on attachment and social behavior. In contrast to genomic imprinting, which generates maladaptation along an axis of mother–infant attachment, sexual antagonism is predicted from theory to generate maladaptation along an axis of sexual dimorphism, modulated by steroid and peptide hormones. We describe evidence of sexual antagonism from studies of humans and other animals, demonstrating that sexually antagonistic effects on sex-dimorphic phenotypes, including aspects of immunity, life history, psychology, and behavior, are commonly observed and lead to forms of maladaptation that are demonstrated, or expected, to impact human health. Recent epidemiological and psychiatric studies of schizophrenia in particular indicate that it is mediated, in part, by sexually antagonistic alleles. The primary implication of this review is that data collection focused on (i) effects of imprinted genes that modulate the oxytocin system, and (ii) effects of sexually antagonistic alleles on sex-dimorphic, disease-related phenotypes will lead to novel insights into both human health and the evolutionary dynamics of genomic conflicts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Mokkonen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada ; Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Bernard J Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada
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Day FR, Perry JRB, Ong KK. Genetic Regulation of Puberty Timing in Humans. Neuroendocrinology 2015; 102:247-255. [PMID: 25968239 PMCID: PMC6309186 DOI: 10.1159/000431023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the regulation of puberty timing has relevance to developmental and human biology and to the pathogenesis of various diseases. Recent large-scale genome-wide association studies on puberty timing and adult height, body mass index (BMI) and central body shape provide evidence for shared biological mechanisms that regulate these traits. There is a substantial genetic overlap between age at menarche in women and BMI, with almost invariable directional consistency with the epidemiological associations between earlier menarche and higher BMI. By contrast, the genetic loci identified for age at menarche are largely distinct from those identified for central body shape, while alleles that confer earlier menarche can be associated with taller or shorter adult height. The findings of population-based studies on age at menarche show increasing relevance for other studies of rare monogenic disorders and enrich our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate the timing of puberty and reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix R Day
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
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Wells JCK. Adaptive variability in the duration of critical windows of plasticity: Implications for the programming of obesity. EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2014; 2014:109-21. [PMID: 25095791 PMCID: PMC4148720 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eou019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity underlies widespread associations between early-life exposures and many components of adult phenotype, including the risk of chronic diseases. Humans take almost two decades to reach reproductive maturity, and yet the ‘critical windows’ of physiological sensitivity that confer developmental plasticity tend to close during fetal life or infancy. While several explanations for lengthy human maturation have been offered, the brevity of physiological plasticity has received less attention. I argue that offspring plasticity is only viable within the niche of maternal care, and that as this protection is withdrawn, the offspring is obliged to canalize many developmental traits in order to minimize environmental disruptions. The schedule of maternal care may therefore shape the duration of critical windows, and since the duration of this care is subject to parent–offspring conflict, the resolution of this conflict may shape the duration of critical windows. This perspective may help understand (i) why windows close at different times for different traits, and (ii) why the duration of critical windows may vary across human populations. The issue is explored in relation to population differences in the association between infant weight gain and later body composition. The occupation of more stable environments by western populations may have favoured earlier closure of the critical window during which growth in lean mass is sensitive to nutritional intake. This may paradoxically have elevated the risk of obesity following rapid infant weight gain in such populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C K Wells
- Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
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Abstract
We introduce the field of Hamiltonian medicine, which centres on the roles of genetic relatedness in human health and disease. Hamiltonian medicine represents the application of basic social-evolution theory, for interactions involving kinship, to core issues in medicine such as pathogens, cancer, optimal growth and mental illness. It encompasses three domains, which involve conflict and cooperation between: (i) microbes or cancer cells, within humans, (ii) genes expressed in humans, (iii) human individuals. A set of six core principles, based on these domains and their interfaces, serves to conceptually organize the field, and contextualize illustrative examples. The primary usefulness of Hamiltonian medicine is that, like Darwinian medicine more generally, it provides novel insights into what data will be productive to collect, to address important clinical and public health problems. Our synthesis of this nascent field is intended predominantly for evolutionary and behavioural biologists who aspire to address questions directly relevant to human health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, CanadaV5A 1S6
| | - Kevin Foster
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Francisco Úbeda
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
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Kohli MV, Patil GB, Kulkarni NB, Bagalkot K, Purohit Z, Dave N, Sagari SG, Malaghan M. A changing trend in eruption age and pattern of first deciduous tooth: correlation to feeding pattern. J Clin Diagn Res 2014; 8:199-201. [PMID: 24783136 DOI: 10.7860/jcdr/2014/6987.4161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2013] [Accepted: 01/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Feeding mode during infancy and its effect on deciduous tooth appearance in oral cavity in two generations and among genders. AIM AND OBJECTIVE Study aimed to compare and correlate times and patterns of deciduous tooth eruption in breastfeeding (OBF), partial breastfeeding (PBF) and spoon feeding (SF) infants and initiation of semisolid food feeding (SSF) in infants. It also aimed to address the variations in the time of eruption of first deciduous tooth and its pattern in two generations who had more than a decade of difference in ages. MATERIALS AND METHODS An open-ended questionnaire study was conducted on mothers of 265 patients from two groups, generation 1 (G1)- adults who were aged 20-35 years and second group, generation 2 (G2) - children who were below 5 years of age . RESULTS A statistical significance was observed with respect to age, gender, generations, and frequency of breastfeeding, partial breastfeeding and time of initiation of semisolid food. CONCLUSION There is a delayed eruption of teeth in present generation. For girls, it occurs at age of 7.88 months and for boys, it occurs at the age of 8.08 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika V Kohli
- Private Practitioner, The Cure Orthodontic Clinic , Sama, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
| | - Gururaj B Patil
- Reader, Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Pariyaram Dental College , Pariyaram, Kannur, Kerala, India
| | - Narayan B Kulkarni
- Reader, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. K.M.Shah Dental College And Hospital Sumandeep Vidyapeeth , Vadodara, Gujarat, India
| | - Kishore Bagalkot
- Reader, Department of Orthodontics, Al-Ameen Dental College , Athani Road, Bijapur, Karnataka
| | - Zarana Purohit
- III Year Post Graduate Student, Department of Orthodontics, K.M.Shah Dental College and Hospital, Sumandeep Vidhyapeeth , Piparia, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
| | - Nilixa Dave
- II Year Post Graduate Student, Department of Orthodontics, K.M.Shah Dental College and Hospital, Sumandeep Vidhyapeeth , Piparia, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
| | - Shitalkumar G Sagari
- Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Jodhpur Dental College General Hospital, Jodhpur National University , Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Manjunath Malaghan
- Senior Lecturer, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial OrthopedIcs, Kle Vk Institute of Dental Sciences , Belgaum, India
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Crespi B. Medical, ethical and personal dimensions of parent-offspring conflicts. Evol Med Public Health 2014; 2014:51-3. [PMID: 24627462 PMCID: PMC3982901 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eou008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Abstract
Natural selection defined by differential survival and reproduction of individuals in populations is influenced by genetic, developmental, and environmental factors operating at every age and stage in human life history: generation of gametes, conception, birth, maturation, reproduction, senescence, and death. Biological systems are built upon a hierarchical organization nesting subcellular organelles, cells, tissues, and organs within individuals, individuals within families, and families within populations, and the latter among other populations. Natural selection often acts simultaneously at more than one level of biological organization and on specific traits, which we define as multilevel selection. Under this model, the individual is a fundamental unit of biological organization and also of selection, imbedded in a larger evolutionary context, just as it is a unit of medical intervention imbedded in larger biological, cultural, and environmental contexts. Here, we view human health and life span as necessary consequences of natural selection, operating at all levels and phases of biological hierarchy in human life history as well as in sociological and environmental milieu. An understanding of the spectrum of opportunities for natural selection will help us develop novel approaches to improving healthy life span through specific and global interventions that simultaneously focus on multiple levels of biological organization. Indeed, many opportunities exist to apply multilevel selection models employed in evolutionary biology and biodemography to improving human health at all hierarchical levels. Multilevel selection perspective provides a rational theoretical foundation for a synthesis of medicine and evolution that could lead to discovering effective predictive, preventive, palliative, potentially curative, and individualized approaches in medicine and in global health programs.
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Wells JCK, DeSilva JM, Stock JT. The obstetric dilemma: an ancient game of Russian roulette, or a variable dilemma sensitive to ecology? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2012; 149 Suppl 55:40-71. [PMID: 23138755 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The difficult birth process of humans, often described as the "obstetric dilemma," is commonly assumed to reflect antagonistic selective pressures favoring neonatal encephalization and maternal bipedal locomotion. However, cephalo-pelvic disproportion is not exclusive to humans, and is present in some primate species of smaller body size. The fossil record indicates mosaic evolution of the obstetric dilemma, involving a number of different evolutionary processes, and it appears to have shifted in magnitude between Australopithecus, Pleistocene Homo, and recent human populations. Most attention to date has focused on its generic nature, rather than on its variability between populations. We re-evaluate the nature of the human obstetric dilemma using updated hominin and primate literature, and then consider the contribution of phenotypic plasticity to variability in its magnitude. Both maternal pelvic dimensions and fetal growth patterns are sensitive to ecological factors such as diet and the thermal environment. Neonatal head girth has low plasticity, whereas neonatal mass and maternal stature have higher plasticity. Secular trends in body size may therefore exacerbate or decrease the obstetric dilemma. The emergence of agriculture may have exacerbated the dilemma, by decreasing maternal stature and increasing neonatal growth and adiposity due to dietary shifts. Paleodemographic comparisons between foragers and agriculturalists suggest that foragers have considerably lower rates of perinatal mortality. In contemporary populations, maternal stature remains strongly associated with perinatal mortality in many populations. Long-term improvements in nutrition across future generations may relieve the dilemma, but in the meantime, variability in its magnitude is likely to persist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C K Wells
- Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
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Crespi B. Diametric gene-dosage effects as windows into neurogenetic architecture. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2012; 23:143-51. [PMID: 22995549 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2012.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2012] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 08/26/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression can be modulated in two opposite directions, towards higher or lower amounts of product. How do diametric changes in gene dosage influence neurological development and function? Recent studies of transgenic and knockout mouse models, genomic copy-number variants, imprinted-gene expression alterations, and sex-chromosome aneuploidies are revealing examples of 'mirror-extreme' brain and behavior phenotypes, which provide unique insights into neurodevelopmental architecture. These convergent studies quantitatively connect gene dosages with specific trajectories and outcomes, with important implications for the experimental dissection of normal neurological functions, the genetic analysis of psychiatric disorders, the development of pharmacological therapies, and mechanisms for the evolution of human brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
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Abstract
This review is aimed at readers seeking an introductory overview, teaching courses and interested in visionary ideas. It first describes the range of topics covered by evolutionary medicine, which include human genetic variation, mismatches to modernity, reproductive medicine, degenerative disease, host-pathogen interactions and insights from comparisons with other species. It then discusses priorities for translational research, basic research and health management. Its conclusions are that evolutionary thinking should not displace other approaches to medical science, such as molecular medicine and cell and developmental biology, but that evolutionary insights can combine with and complement established approaches to reduce suffering and save lives. Because we are on the cusp of so much new research and innovative insights, it is hard to estimate how much impact evolutionary thinking will have on medicine, but it is already clear that its potential is enormous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C Stearns
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8106, USA.
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