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Lauterbur ME, Cavassim MIA, Gladstein AL, Gower G, Pope NS, Tsambos G, Adrion J, Belsare S, Biddanda A, Caudill V, Cury J, Echevarria I, Haller BC, Hasan AR, Huang X, Iasi LNM, Noskova E, Obsteter J, Pavinato VAC, Pearson A, Peede D, Perez MF, Rodrigues MF, Smith CCR, Spence JP, Teterina A, Tittes S, Unneberg P, Vazquez JM, Waples RK, Wohns AW, Wong Y, Baumdicker F, Cartwright RA, Gorjanc G, Gutenkunst RN, Kelleher J, Kern AD, Ragsdale AP, Ralph PL, Schrider DR, Gronau I. Expanding the stdpopsim species catalog, and lessons learned for realistic genome simulations. eLife 2023; 12:RP84874. [PMID: 37342968 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Simulation is a key tool in population genetics for both methods development and empirical research, but producing simulations that recapitulate the main features of genomic datasets remains a major obstacle. Today, more realistic simulations are possible thanks to large increases in the quantity and quality of available genetic data, and the sophistication of inference and simulation software. However, implementing these simulations still requires substantial time and specialized knowledge. These challenges are especially pronounced for simulating genomes for species that are not well-studied, since it is not always clear what information is required to produce simulations with a level of realism sufficient to confidently answer a given question. The community-developed framework stdpopsim seeks to lower this barrier by facilitating the simulation of complex population genetic models using up-to-date information. The initial version of stdpopsim focused on establishing this framework using six well-characterized model species (Adrion et al., 2020). Here, we report on major improvements made in the new release of stdpopsim (version 0.2), which includes a significant expansion of the species catalog and substantial additions to simulation capabilities. Features added to improve the realism of the simulated genomes include non-crossover recombination and provision of species-specific genomic annotations. Through community-driven efforts, we expanded the number of species in the catalog more than threefold and broadened coverage across the tree of life. During the process of expanding the catalog, we have identified common sticking points and developed the best practices for setting up genome-scale simulations. We describe the input data required for generating a realistic simulation, suggest good practices for obtaining the relevant information from the literature, and discuss common pitfalls and major considerations. These improvements to stdpopsim aim to further promote the use of realistic whole-genome population genetic simulations, especially in non-model organisms, making them available, transparent, and accessible to everyone.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Elise Lauterbur
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States
| | - Maria Izabel A Cavassim
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | | | - Graham Gower
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nathaniel S Pope
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Georgia Tsambos
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jeffrey Adrion
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
- Ancestry DNA, San Francisco, United States
| | - Saurabh Belsare
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | | | - Victoria Caudill
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Jean Cury
- Universite Paris-Saclay, CNRS, INRIA, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Sciences du Numerique, Orsay, France
| | | | - Benjamin C Haller
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
| | - Ahmed R Hasan
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada
| | - Xin Huang
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Ekaterina Noskova
- Computer Technologies Laboratory, ITMO University, St Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Jana Obsteter
- Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Department of Animal Science, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Alice Pearson
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - David Peede
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, United States
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, United States
| | - Manolo F Perez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Brazil
| | - Murillo F Rodrigues
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Chris C R Smith
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Jeffrey P Spence
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States
| | - Anastasia Teterina
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Silas Tittes
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Per Unneberg
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Juan Manuel Vazquez
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Ryan K Waples
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | | | - Yan Wong
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Franz Baumdicker
- Cluster of Excellence - Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections, Eberhard Karls Universit¨at Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany
| | - Reed A Cartwright
- School of Life Sciences and The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | - Gregor Gorjanc
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ryan N Gutenkunst
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States
| | - Jerome Kelleher
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew D Kern
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Aaron P Ragsdale
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Peter L Ralph
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
- Department of Mathematics, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States
| | - Daniel R Schrider
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Ilan Gronau
- Efi Arazi School of Computer Science, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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2
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Fan S, Spence JP, Feng Y, Hansen MEB, Terhorst J, Beltrame MH, Ranciaro A, Hirbo J, Beggs W, Thomas N, Nyambo T, Mpoloka SW, Mokone GG, Njamnshi A, Folkunang C, Meskel DW, Belay G, Song YS, Tishkoff SA. Whole-genome sequencing reveals a complex African population demographic history and signatures of local adaptation. Cell 2023; 186:923-939.e14. [PMID: 36868214 PMCID: PMC10568978 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
We conduct high coverage (>30×) whole-genome sequencing of 180 individuals from 12 indigenous African populations. We identify millions of unreported variants, many predicted to be functionally important. We observe that the ancestors of southern African San and central African rainforest hunter-gatherers (RHG) diverged from other populations >200 kya and maintained a large effective population size. We observe evidence for ancient population structure in Africa and for multiple introgression events from "ghost" populations with highly diverged genetic lineages. Although currently geographically isolated, we observe evidence for gene flow between eastern and southern Khoesan-speaking hunter-gatherer populations lasting until ∼12 kya. We identify signatures of local adaptation for traits related to skin color, immune response, height, and metabolic processes. We identify a positively selected variant in the lightly pigmented San that influences pigmentation in vitro by regulating the enhancer activity and gene expression of PDPK1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaohua Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, School of Life Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China; Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jeffrey P Spence
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yuanqing Feng
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Matthew E B Hansen
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jonathan Terhorst
- Department of Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Marcia H Beltrame
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Alessia Ranciaro
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jibril Hirbo
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - William Beggs
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Neil Thomas
- Computer Science Division, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Thomas Nyambo
- Department of Biochemistry, Kampala International University in Tanzania, P.O. Box 9790, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Sununguko Wata Mpoloka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana Gaborone, Private Bag UB 0022, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Gaonyadiwe George Mokone
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana Gaborone, Private Bag UB 0022, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Alfred Njamnshi
- Department of Neurology, Central Hospital Yaoundé; Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Neuroscience Lab, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 337, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Charles Folkunang
- Department of Pharmacotoxicology and Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 337, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Dawit Wolde Meskel
- Department of Microbial Cellular and Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Gurja Belay
- Department of Microbial Cellular and Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Yun S Song
- Computer Science Division, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sarah A Tishkoff
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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3
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Zhang C, Hansen MEB, Tishkoff SA. Advances in integrative African genomics. Trends Genet 2022; 38:152-168. [PMID: 34740451 PMCID: PMC8752515 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
There has been a rapid increase in human genome sequencing in the past two decades, resulting in the identification of millions of previously unknown genetic variants. However, African populations are under-represented in sequencing efforts. Additional sequencing from diverse African populations and the construction of African-specific reference genomes is needed to better characterize the full spectrum of variation in humans. However, sequencing alone is insufficient to address the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying variable phenotypes and disease risks. Determining functional consequences of genetic variation using multi-omics approaches is a fundamental post-genomic challenge. We discuss approaches to close the knowledge gaps about African genomic diversity and review advances in African integrative genomic studies and their implications for precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Matthew E B Hansen
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sarah A Tishkoff
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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4
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Fa JE, Nasi R, Funk SM. The COVID-19 Pandemic Endangers Africa's Indigenous Pygmy Populations. ECOHEALTH 2021; 18:403-405. [PMID: 34041645 PMCID: PMC8154106 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-021-01528-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia E Fa
- Department of Natural Sciences, School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), CIFOR Headquarters, Bogor, 16115, Indonesia
| | - Robert Nasi
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), CIFOR Headquarters, Bogor, 16115, Indonesia
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5
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Ahlquist KD, Bañuelos MM, Funk A, Lai J, Rong S, Villanea FA, Witt KE. Our Tangled Family Tree: New Genomic Methods Offer Insight into the Legacy of Archaic Admixture. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:evab115. [PMID: 34028527 PMCID: PMC8480178 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The archaic ancestry present in the human genome has captured the imagination of both scientists and the wider public in recent years. This excitement is the result of new studies pushing the envelope of what we can learn from the archaic genetic information that has survived for over 50,000 years in the human genome. Here, we review the most recent ten years of literature on the topic of archaic introgression, including the current state of knowledge on Neanderthal and Denisovan introgression, as well as introgression from other as-yet unidentified archaic populations. We focus this review on four topics: 1) a reimagining of human demographic history, including evidence for multiple admixture events between modern humans, Neanderthals, Denisovans, and other archaic populations; 2) state-of-the-art methods for detecting archaic ancestry in population-level genomic data; 3) how these novel methods can detect archaic introgression in modern African populations; and 4) the functional consequences of archaic gene variants, including how those variants were co-opted into novel function in modern human populations. The goal of this review is to provide a simple-to-access reference for the relevant methods and novel data, which has changed our understanding of the relationship between our species and its siblings. This body of literature reveals the large degree to which the genetic legacy of these extinct hominins has been integrated into the human populations of today.
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Affiliation(s)
- K D Ahlquist
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Mayra M Bañuelos
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Alyssa Funk
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Jiaying Lai
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Brown Center for Biomedical Informatics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Stephen Rong
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Fernando A Villanea
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Kelsey E Witt
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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6
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Jablonski NG. The evolution of human skin pigmentation involved the interactions of genetic, environmental, and cultural variables. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2021; 34:707-729. [PMID: 33825328 PMCID: PMC8359960 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The primary biological role of human skin pigmentation is as a mediator of penetration of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) into the deep layers of skin and the cutaneous circulation. Since the origin of Homo sapiens, dark, protective constitutive pigmentation and strong tanning abilities have been favored under conditions of high UVR and represent the baseline condition for modern humans. The evolution of partly depigmented skin and variable tanning abilities has occurred multiple times in prehistory, as populations have dispersed into environments with lower and more seasonal UVR regimes, with unique complements of genes and cultural practices. The evolution of extremes of dark pigmentation and depigmentation has been rare and occurred only under conditions of extremely high or low environmental UVR, promoted by positive selection on variant pigmentation genes followed by limited gene flow. Over time, the evolution of human skin pigmentation has been influenced by the nature and course of human dispersals and modifications of cultural practices, which have modified the nature and actions of skin pigmentation genes. Throughout most of prehistory and history, the evolution of human skin pigmentation has been a contingent and non-deterministic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina G. Jablonski
- Department of AnthropologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
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7
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Nadachowska-Brzyska K, Dutoit L, Smeds L, Kardos M, Gustafsson L, Ellegren H. Genomic inference of contemporary effective population size in a large island population of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). Mol Ecol 2021; 30:3965-3973. [PMID: 34145933 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Due to its central importance to many aspects of evolutionary biology and population genetics, the long-term effective population size (Ne ) has been estimated for numerous species and populations. However, estimating contemporary Ne is difficult and in practice this parameter is often unknown. In principle, contemporary Ne can be estimated using either analyses of temporal changes in allele frequencies, or the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between unlinked markers. We applied these approaches to estimate contemporary Ne of a relatively recently founded island population of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). We sequenced the genomes of 85 birds sampled in 1993 and 2015, and applied several temporal methods to estimate Ne at a few thousand (4000-7000). The approach based on LD provided higher estimates of Ne (20,000-32,000) and was associated with high variance, often resulting in infinite Ne . We conclude that whole-genome sequencing data offers new possibilities to estimate high (>1000) contemporary Ne , but also note that such estimates remain challenging, in particular for LD-based methods for contemporary Ne estimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krystyna Nadachowska-Brzyska
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Ludovic Dutoit
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Linnéa Smeds
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Martin Kardos
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lars Gustafsson
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hans Ellegren
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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8
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Quan C, Li Y, Liu X, Wang Y, Ping J, Lu Y, Zhou G. Characterization of structural variation in Tibetans reveals new evidence of high-altitude adaptation and introgression. Genome Biol 2021; 22:159. [PMID: 34034800 PMCID: PMC8146648 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02382-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Structural variation (SV) acts as an essential mutational force shaping the evolution and function of the human genome. However, few studies have examined the role of SVs in high-altitude adaptation and little is known of adaptive introgressed SVs in Tibetans so far. RESULTS Here, we generate a comprehensive catalog of SVs in a Chinese Tibetan (n = 15) and Han (n = 10) population using nanopore sequencing technology. Among a total of 38,216 unique SVs in the catalog, 27% are sequence-resolved for the first time. We systematically assess the distribution of these SVs across repeat sequences and functional genomic regions. Through genotyping in additional 276 genomes, we identify 69 Tibetan-Han stratified SVs and 80 candidate adaptive genes. We also discover a few adaptive introgressed SV candidates and provide evidence for a deletion of 335 base pairs at 1p36.32. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results highlight the important role of SVs in the evolutionary processes of Tibetans' adaptation to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and provide a valuable resource for future high-altitude adaptation studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Quan
- Department of Genetics & Integrative Omics, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuanfeng Li
- Department of Genetics & Integrative Omics, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850 People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinyi Liu
- Department of Genetics & Integrative Omics, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yahui Wang
- Department of Genetics & Integrative Omics, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie Ping
- Department of Genetics & Integrative Omics, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yiming Lu
- Department of Genetics & Integrative Omics, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850 People’s Republic of China
- Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei Province 071002 People’s Republic of China
| | - Gangqiao Zhou
- Department of Genetics & Integrative Omics, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850 People’s Republic of China
- Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei Province 071002 People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 211166 People’s Republic of China
- Medical College of Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province 550025 People’s Republic of China
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9
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Zhang X, Liu Q, Zhang H, Zhao S, Huang J, Sovannary T, Bunnath L, Aun HS, Samnom H, Su B, Chen H. The distinct morphological phenotypes of Southeast Asian aborigines are shaped by novel mechanisms for adaptation to tropical rainforests. Natl Sci Rev 2021; 9:nwab072. [PMID: 35371514 PMCID: PMC8970429 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Southeast Asian aborigines, the hunter-gatherer populations living in tropical rainforests, exhibit distinct morphological phenotypes, including short stature, dark skin, curly hair and a wide and snub nose. The underlying genetic architecture and evolutionary mechanism of these phenotypes remain a long-term mystery. We conducted whole genome deep sequencing of 81 Cambodian aborigines from eight ethnic groups. Through a genome-wide scan of selective sweeps, we discovered key genes harboring Cambodian-enriched mutations that may contribute to their phenotypes, including two hair morphogenesis genes (TCHH and TCHHL1), one nasal morphology gene (PAX3) and a set of genes (such as ENTPD1-AS1) associated with short stature. The identified new genes and novel mutations suggest an independent origin of the distinct phenotypes in Cambodian aborigines through parallel evolution, refuting the long-standing argument on the common ancestry of these phenotypes among the worldwide rainforest hunter-gatherers. Notably, our discovery reveals that various types of molecular mechanisms, including antisense transcription and epigenetic regulation, contribute to human morphogenesis, providing novel insights into the genetics of human environmental adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Qi Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- School of Future Technology and Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Shilei Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- School of Future Technology and Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jiahui Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Tuot Sovannary
- Department of Geography and Land Management, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh 12000, Cambodia
| | - Long Bunnath
- Department of Geography and Land Management, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh 12000, Cambodia
| | - Hong Seang Aun
- Department of Geography and Land Management, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh 12000, Cambodia
| | - Ham Samnom
- Capacity Development Facilitator for Handicap International Federation and Freelance Research, Battambang 02358, Cambodia
| | - Bing Su
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Hua Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing 100101, China
- School of Future Technology and Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
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10
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Hollfelder N, Breton G, Sjödin P, Jakobsson M. The deep population history in Africa. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:R2-R10. [PMID: 33438014 PMCID: PMC8117439 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Africa is the continent with the greatest genetic diversity among humans and the level of diversity is further enhanced by incorporating non-majority groups, which are often understudied. Many of today's minority populations historically practiced foraging lifestyles, which were the only subsistence strategies prior to the rise of agriculture and pastoralism, but only a few groups practicing these strategies remain today. Genomic investigations of Holocene human remains excavated across the African continent show that the genetic landscape was vastly different compared to today's genetic landscape and that many groups that today are population isolate inhabited larger regions in the past. It is becoming clear that there are periods of isolation among groups and geographic areas, but also genetic contact over large distances throughout human history in Africa. Genomic information from minority populations and from prehistoric remains provide an invaluable source of information on the human past, in particular deep human population history, as Holocene large-scale population movements obscure past patterns of population structure. Here we revisit questions on the nature and time of the radiation of early humans in Africa, the extent of gene-flow among human populations as well as introgression from archaic and extinct lineages on the continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Hollfelder
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18C, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gwenna Breton
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18C, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Per Sjödin
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18C, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18C, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Physical, Cnr Kingsway & University Roads, Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa
- SciLifeLab, Stockholm and Uppsala, Entrance C11, BMC, Husargatan 3, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
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11
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Mulindwa J, Noyes H, Ilboudo H, Pagani L, Nyangiri O, Kimuda MP, Ahouty B, Asina OF, Ofon E, Kamoto K, Kabore JW, Koffi M, Ngoyi DM, Simo G, Chisi J, Sidibe I, Enyaru J, Simuunza M, Alibu P, Jamonneau V, Camara M, Tait A, Hall N, Bucheton B, MacLeod A, Hertz-Fowler C, Matovu E, Matovu E, Sidibe I, Mumba D, Koffi M, Simo G, Chisi J, Alibu VP, Macleod A, Bucheton B, Hertzfowler C, Elliot A, Camara M, Bishop O, Mulindwa J, Nyangiri O, Kimuda MP, Ofon E, Ahouty B, Kabore J. High Levels of Genetic Diversity within Nilo-Saharan Populations: Implications for Human Adaptation. Am J Hum Genet 2020; 107:473-486. [PMID: 32781046 PMCID: PMC7477016 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Africa contains more human genetic variation than any other continent, but the majority of the population-scale analyses of the African peoples have focused on just two of the four major linguistic groups, the Niger-Congo and Afro-Asiatic, leaving the Nilo-Saharan and Khoisan populations under-represented. In order to assess genetic variation and signatures of selection within a Nilo-Saharan population and between the Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo and Afro-Asiatic, we sequenced 50 genomes from the Nilo-Saharan Lugbara population of North-West Uganda and 250 genomes from 6 previously unsequenced Niger-Congo populations. We compared these data to data from a further 16 Eurasian and African populations including the Gumuz, another putative Nilo-Saharan population from Ethiopia. Of the 21 million variants identified in the Nilo-Saharan population, 3.57 million (17%) were not represented in dbSNP and included predicted non-synonymous mutations with possible phenotypic effects. We found greater genetic differentiation between the Nilo-Saharan Lugbara and Gumuz populations than between any two Afro-Asiatic or Niger-Congo populations. F3 tests showed that Gumuz contributed a genetic component to most Niger-Congo B populations whereas Lugabara did not. We scanned the genomes of the Lugbara for evidence of selective sweeps. We found selective sweeps at four loci (SLC24A5, SNX13, TYRP1, and UVRAG) associated with skin pigmentation, three of which already have been reported to be under selection. These selective sweeps point toward adaptations to the intense UV radiation of the Sahel.
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12
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Pearson OM, Hill EC, Peppe DJ, Van Plantinga A, Blegen N, Faith JT, Tryon CA. A Late Pleistocene human humerus from Rusinga Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 146:102855. [PMID: 32781348 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In 2010, a hominin right humerus fragment (KNM-RU 58330) was surface collected in a small gully at Nyamita North in the Late Pleistocene Wasiriya Beds of Rusinga Island, Kenya. A combination of stratigraphic and geochronological evidence suggests the specimen is likely between ∼49 and 36 ka in age. The associated fauna is diverse and dominated by semiarid grassland taxa. The small sample of associated Middle Stone Age artifacts includes Levallois flakes, cores, and retouched points. The 139 mm humeral fragment preserves the shaft from distal to the lesser tubercle to 14 mm below the distal end of the weakly projecting deltoid tuberosity. Key morphological features include a narrow and weakly marked pectoralis major insertion and a distinctive medial bend in the diaphysis at the deltoid insertion. This bend is unusual among recent human humeri but occurs in a few Late Pleistocene humeri. The dimensions of the distal end of the fragment predict a length of 317.9 ± 16.4 mm based on recent samples of African ancestry. A novel method of predicting humeral length from the distance between the middle of the pectoralis major and the bottom of the deltoid insertion predicts a length of 317.3 mm ± 17.6 mm. Cross-sectional geometry at the midshaft shows a relatively high percentage of cortical bone and a moderate degree of flattening of the shaft. The Nyamita humerus is anatomically modern in its morphology and adds to the small sample of hominins from the Late Pleistocene associated with Middle Stone Age artifacts known from East Africa. It may sample a population closely related to the people of the out-of-Africa migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osbjorn M Pearson
- Department of Anthropology, MSC01-1040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA.
| | - Ethan C Hill
- Department of Anthropology, MSC01-1040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Daniel J Peppe
- Terrestrial Paleoclimatology Research Group, Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76706, USA
| | - Alex Van Plantinga
- Terrestrial Paleoclimatology Research Group, Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76706, USA
| | - Nick Blegen
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 3EN, UK
| | - J Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah, Rio Tinto Center, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA; Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, 260 S. Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Christian A Tryon
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
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13
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Zoccolillo M, Moia C, Comincini S, Cittaro D, Lazarevic D, Pisani KA, Wit JM, Bozzola M. Identification of novel genetic variants associated with short stature in a Baka Pygmies population. Hum Genet 2020; 139:1471-1483. [PMID: 32583022 PMCID: PMC7519921 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-020-02191-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Human growth is a complex trait determined by genetic factors in combination with external stimuli, including environment, nutrition and hormonal status. In the past, several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have collectively identified hundreds of genetic variants having a putative effect on determining adult height in different worldwide populations. Theoretically, a valuable approach to better understand the mechanisms of complex traits as adult height is to study a population exhibiting extreme stature phenotypes, such as African Baka Pygmies. After phenotypic characterization, we sequenced the whole exomes of a cohort of Baka Pygmies and their non-Pygmies Bantu neighbors to highlight genetic variants associated with the reduced stature. Whole exome data analysis revealed 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with the reduced height in the Baka group. Among these variants, we focused on SNP rs7629425, located in the 5′-UTR of the Hyaluronidase-2 (HYAL2) gene. The frequency of the alternative allele was significantly increased compared to African and non-African populations. In vitro luciferase assay showed significant differences in transcription modulation by rs7629425 C/T alleles. In conclusion, our results suggested that the HYAL2 gene variants may play a role in the etiology of short stature in Baka Pygmies population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Zoccolillo
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Moia
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", Università Degli Studi Di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Sergio Comincini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", Università Degli Studi Di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Davide Cittaro
- Center for Omics Sciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Dejan Lazarevic
- Center for Omics Sciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Karen A Pisani
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Jan M Wit
- Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Mauro Bozzola
- University of Pavia, and Onlus Il Bambino E Il Suo Pediatra, Via XX Settembre 28, Galliate, 28066, Novara, Italy.
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14
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Hsieh P, Vollger MR, Dang V, Porubsky D, Baker C, Cantsilieris S, Hoekzema K, Lewis AP, Munson KM, Sorensen M, Kronenberg ZN, Murali S, Nelson BJ, Chiatante G, Maggiolini FAM, Blanché H, Underwood JG, Antonacci F, Deleuze JF, Eichler EE. Adaptive archaic introgression of copy number variants and the discovery of previously unknown human genes. Science 2020; 366:366/6463/eaax2083. [PMID: 31624180 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax2083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Copy number variants (CNVs) are subject to stronger selective pressure than single-nucleotide variants, but their roles in archaic introgression and adaptation have not been systematically investigated. We show that stratified CNVs are significantly associated with signatures of positive selection in Melanesians and provide evidence for adaptive introgression of large CNVs at chromosomes 16p11.2 and 8p21.3 from Denisovans and Neanderthals, respectively. Using long-read sequence data, we reconstruct the structure and complex evolutionary history of these polymorphisms and show that both encode positively selected genes absent from most human populations. Our results collectively suggest that large CNVs originating in archaic hominins and introgressed into modern humans have played an important role in local population adaptation and represent an insufficiently studied source of large-scale genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- PingHsun Hsieh
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mitchell R Vollger
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Vy Dang
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David Porubsky
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Carl Baker
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stuart Cantsilieris
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kendra Hoekzema
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alexandra P Lewis
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Katherine M Munson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Melanie Sorensen
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zev N Kronenberg
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Shwetha Murali
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Bradley J Nelson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Giorgia Chiatante
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro," Bari, Italy
| | | | - Hélène Blanché
- Fondation Jean Dausset-Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain, Paris, France
| | - Jason G Underwood
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.,Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) of California, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Francesca Antonacci
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro," Bari, Italy
| | | | - Evan E Eichler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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15
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Hejase HA, Dukler N, Siepel A. From Summary Statistics to Gene Trees: Methods for Inferring Positive Selection. Trends Genet 2020; 36:243-258. [PMID: 31954511 PMCID: PMC7177178 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2019.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Methods to detect signals of natural selection from genomic data have traditionally emphasized the use of simple summary statistics. Here, we review a new generation of methods that consider combinations of conventional summary statistics and/or richer features derived from inferred gene trees and ancestral recombination graphs (ARGs). We also review recent advances in methods for population genetic simulation and ARG reconstruction. Finally, we describe opportunities for future work on a variety of related topics, including the genetics of speciation, estimation of selection coefficients, and inference of selection on polygenic traits. Together, these emerging methods offer promising new directions in the study of natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein A Hejase
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
| | - Noah Dukler
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Adam Siepel
- Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
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16
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Woerner AE, Veeramah KR, Watkins JC, Hammer MF. The Role of Phylogenetically Conserved Elements in Shaping Patterns of Human Genomic Diversity. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 35:2284-2295. [PMID: 30113695 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary genetic studies have shown a positive correlation between levels of nucleotide diversity and either rates of recombination or genetic distance to genes. Both positive-directional and purifying selection have been offered as the source of these correlations via genetic hitchhiking and background selection, respectively. Phylogenetically conserved elements (CEs) are short (∼100 bp), widely distributed (comprising ∼5% of genome), sequences that are often found far from genes. While the function of many CEs is unknown, CEs also are associated with reduced diversity at linked sites. Using high coverage (>80×) whole genome data from two human populations, the Yoruba and the CEU, we perform fine scale evaluations of diversity, rates of recombination, and linkage to genes. We find that the local rate of recombination has a stronger effect on levels of diversity than linkage to genes, and that these effects of recombination persist even in regions far from genes. Our whole genome modeling demonstrates that, rather than recombination or GC-biased gene conversion, selection on sites within or linked to CEs better explains the observed genomic diversity patterns. A major implication is that very few sites in the human genome are predicted to be free of the effects of selection. These sites, which we refer to as the human "neutralome," comprise only 1.2% of the autosomes and 5.1% of the X chromosome. Demographic analysis of the neutralome reveals larger population sizes and lower rates of growth for ancestral human populations than inferred by previous analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- August E Woerner
- ARL Division of Biotechnology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.,Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX
| | - Krishna R Veeramah
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
| | | | - Michael F Hammer
- ARL Division of Biotechnology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
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17
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Durvasula A, Sankararaman S. Recovering signals of ghost archaic introgression in African populations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaax5097. [PMID: 32095519 PMCID: PMC7015685 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax5097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
While introgression from Neanderthals and Denisovans has been documented in modern humans outside Africa, the contribution of archaic hominins to the genetic variation of present-day Africans remains poorly understood. We provide complementary lines of evidence for archaic introgression into four West African populations. Our analyses of site frequency spectra indicate that these populations derive 2 to 19% of their genetic ancestry from an archaic population that diverged before the split of Neanderthals and modern humans. Using a method that can identify segments of archaic ancestry without the need for reference archaic genomes, we built genome-wide maps of archaic ancestry in the Yoruba and the Mende populations. Analyses of these maps reveal segments of archaic ancestry at high frequency in these populations that represent potential targets of adaptive introgression. Our results reveal the substantial contribution of archaic ancestry in shaping the gene pool of present-day West African populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun Durvasula
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sriram Sankararaman
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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18
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The goal of the review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the mechanisms underlying variation in human stature. RECENT FINDINGS Human height is an anthropometric trait that varies considerably within human populations as well as across the globe. Historically, much research focus was placed on understanding the biology of growth plate chondrocytes and how modifications to core chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation pathways potentially shaped height attainment in normal as well as pathological contexts. Recently, much progress has been made to improve our understanding regarding the mechanisms underlying the normal and pathological range of height variation within as well as between human populations, and today, it is understood to reflect complex interactions among a myriad of genetic, environmental, and evolutionary factors. Indeed, recent improvements in genetics (e.g., GWAS) and breakthroughs in functional genomics (e.g., whole exome sequencing, DNA methylation analysis, ATAC-sequencing, and CRISPR) have shed light on previously unknown pathways/mechanisms governing pathological and common height variation. Additionally, the use of an evolutionary perspective has also revealed important mechanisms that have shaped height variation across the planet. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the biological mechanisms underlying height variation by highlighting new research findings on skeletal growth control with an emphasis on previously unknown pathways/mechanisms influencing pathological and common height variation. In this context, this review also discusses how evolutionary forces likely shaped the genomic architecture of height across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Terence D Capellini
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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19
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Genomic Evidence for Local Adaptation of Hunter-Gatherers to the African Rainforest. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2926-2935.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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20
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Abstract
Context: Africa's role in the narrative of human evolution is indisputably emphasised in the emergence of Homo sapiens. However, once humans dispersed beyond Africa, the history of those who stayed remains vastly under-studied, lacking the proper attention the birthplace of both modern and archaic humans deserves. The sequencing of Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes has elucidated evidence of admixture between archaic and modern humans outside of Africa, but has not aided efforts in answering whether archaic admixture happened within Africa. Objectives: This article reviews the state of research for archaic introgression in African populations and discusses recent insights into this topic. Methods: Gathering published sources and recently released preprints, this review reports on the different methods developed for detecting archaic introgression. Particularly it discusses how relevant these are when implemented on African populations and what findings these studies have shown so far. Results: Methods for detecting archaic introgression have been predominantly developed and implemented on non-African populations. Recent preprints present new methods considering African populations. While a number of studies using these methods suggest archaic introgression in Africa, without an African archaic genome to validate these results, such findings remain as putative archaic introgression. Conclusion: In light of the caveats with implementing current archaic introgression detection methods in Africa, we recommend future studies to concentrate on unravelling the complicated demographic history of Africa through means of ancient DNA where possible and through more focused efforts to sequence modern DNA from more representative populations across the African continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Santander
- a Department of Zoology , University of Oxford , Oxford , UK
| | - Francesco Montinaro
- a Department of Zoology , University of Oxford , Oxford , UK.,b Estonian Biocentre , University of Tartu , Tartu , Estonia
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21
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Lorente-Galdos B, Lao O, Serra-Vidal G, Santpere G, Kuderna LFK, Arauna LR, Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Pimenoff VN, Soodyall H, Zalloua P, Marques-Bonet T, Comas D. Whole-genome sequence analysis of a Pan African set of samples reveals archaic gene flow from an extinct basal population of modern humans into sub-Saharan populations. Genome Biol 2019; 20:77. [PMID: 31023378 PMCID: PMC6485163 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-019-1684-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Population demography and gene flow among African groups, as well as the putative archaic introgression of ancient hominins, have been poorly explored at the genome level. Results Here, we examine 15 African populations covering all major continental linguistic groups, ecosystems, and lifestyles within Africa through analysis of whole-genome sequence data of 21 individuals sequenced at deep coverage. We observe a remarkable correlation among genetic diversity and geographic distance, with the hunter-gatherer groups being more genetically differentiated and having larger effective population sizes throughout most modern-human history. Admixture signals are found between neighbor populations from both hunter-gatherer and agriculturalists groups, whereas North African individuals are closely related to Eurasian populations. Regarding archaic gene flow, we test six complex demographic models that consider recent admixture as well as archaic introgression. We identify the fingerprint of an archaic introgression event in the sub-Saharan populations included in the models (~ 4.0% in Khoisan, ~ 4.3% in Mbuti Pygmies, and ~ 5.8% in Mandenka) from an early divergent and currently extinct ghost modern human lineage. Conclusion The present study represents an in-depth genomic analysis of a Pan African set of individuals, which emphasizes their complex relationships and demographic history at population level. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13059-019-1684-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belen Lorente-Galdos
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF/CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Oscar Lao
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 4, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gerard Serra-Vidal
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF/CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gabriel Santpere
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF/CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lukas F K Kuderna
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF/CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lara R Arauna
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF/CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Karima Fadhlaoui-Zid
- College of Science, Department of Biology, Taibah University, Al Madinah, Al Monawarah, Saudi Arabia.,Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja, University of Jendouba, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, BP, 382, 9000, Beja, Tunisia
| | - Ville N Pimenoff
- Oncology Data Analytics Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (ICO-IDIBELL), Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Archaeology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Himla Soodyall
- Division of Human Genetics, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Pierre Zalloua
- School of Medicine, The Lebanese American University, Beirut, 1102-2801, Lebanon
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF/CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.,CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac 4, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Comas
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF/CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
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22
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Human Immunology through the Lens of Evolutionary Genetics. Cell 2019; 177:184-199. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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23
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Henn BM, Steele TE, Weaver TD. Clarifying distinct models of modern human origins in Africa. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2018; 53:148-156. [PMID: 30423527 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating genomic, fossil and archaeological data from Africa have led to a renewed interest in models of modern human origins. However, such discussions are often discipline-specific, with limited integration of evidence across the different fields. Further, geneticists typically require explicit specification of parameters to test competing demographic models, but these have been poorly outlined for some scenarios. Here, we describe four possible models for the origins of Homo sapiens in Africa based on published literature from paleoanthropology and human genetics. We briefly outline expectations for data patterns under each model, with a special focus on genetic data. Additionally, we present schematics for each model, doing our best to qualitatively describe demographic histories for which genetic parameters can be specifically attached. Finally, it is our hope that this perspective provides context for discussions of human origins in other manuscripts presented in this special issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenna M Henn
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, United States; UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, United States.
| | - Teresa E Steele
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, United States
| | - Timothy D Weaver
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, United States
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24
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Polygenic adaptation and convergent evolution on growth and cardiac genetic pathways in African and Asian rainforest hunter-gatherers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E11256-E11263. [PMID: 30413626 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1812135115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Different human populations facing similar environmental challenges have sometimes evolved convergent biological adaptations, for example, hypoxia resistance at high altitudes and depigmented skin in northern latitudes on separate continents. The "pygmy" phenotype (small adult body size), characteristic of hunter-gatherer populations inhabiting both African and Asian tropical rainforests, is often highlighted as another case of convergent adaptation in humans. However, the degree to which phenotypic convergence in this polygenic trait is due to convergent versus population-specific genetic changes is unknown. To address this question, we analyzed high-coverage sequence data from the protein-coding portion of the genomes of two pairs of populations: Batwa rainforest hunter-gatherers and neighboring Bakiga agriculturalists from Uganda and Andamanese rainforest hunter-gatherers and Brahmin agriculturalists from India. We observed signatures of convergent positive selection between the rainforest hunter-gatherers across the set of genes with "growth factor binding" functions ([Formula: see text]). Unexpectedly, for the rainforest groups, we also observed convergent and population-specific signatures of positive selection in pathways related to cardiac development (e.g., "cardiac muscle tissue development"; [Formula: see text]). We hypothesize that the growth hormone subresponsiveness likely underlying the adult small body-size phenotype may have led to compensatory changes in cardiac pathways, in which this hormone also plays an essential role. Importantly, in the agriculturalist populations, we did not observe similar patterns of positive selection on sets of genes associated with growth or cardiac development, indicating our results most likely reflect a history of convergent adaptation to the similar ecology of rainforests rather than a more general evolutionary pattern.
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25
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Margres MJ, Ruiz-Aravena M, Hamede R, Jones ME, Lawrance MF, Hendricks SA, Patton A, Davis BW, Ostrander EA, McCallum H, Hohenlohe PA, Storfer A. The Genomic Basis of Tumor Regression in Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii). Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:3012-3025. [PMID: 30321343 PMCID: PMC6251476 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic basis of disease-related phenotypes, such as cancer susceptibility, is crucial for the advancement of personalized medicine. Although most cancers are somatic in origin, a small number of transmissible cancers have been documented. Two such cancers have emerged in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) and now threaten the species with extinction. Recently, cases of natural tumor regression in Tasmanian devils infected with the clonally contagious cancer have been detected. We used whole-genome sequencing and FST-based approaches to identify the genetic basis of tumor regression by comparing the genomes of seven individuals that underwent tumor regression with those of three infected individuals that did not. We found three highly differentiated candidate genomic regions containing several genes related to immune response and/or cancer risk, indicating that the genomic basis of tumor regression was polygenic. Within these genomic regions, we identified putative regulatory variation in candidate genes but no nonsynonymous variation, suggesting that natural tumor regression may be driven, at least in part, by differential host expression of key loci. Comparative oncology can provide insight into the genetic basis of cancer risk, tumor development, and the pathogenicity of cancer, particularly due to our limited ability to monitor natural, untreated tumor progression in human patients. Our results support the hypothesis that host immune response is necessary for triggering tumor regression, providing candidate genes that may translate to novel treatments in human and nonhuman cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Margres
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University
| | - Manuel Ruiz-Aravena
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Rodrigo Hamede
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.,Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Menna E Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | | | - Sarah A Hendricks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow
| | - Austin Patton
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University
| | - Brian W Davis
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station.,Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Elaine A Ostrander
- Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Hamish McCallum
- School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul A Hohenlohe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow
| | - Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University
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26
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The demographic and adaptive history of central African hunter-gatherers and farmers. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2018; 53:90-97. [PMID: 30103089 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2018.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Central Africa, a forested region that supports an exceptionally high biodiversity, hosts the world's largest group of hunter-gatherers, who live in close proximity with groups that have adopted agriculture over the past 5000 years. Our understanding of the prehistory of these populations has been dramatically hampered by the almost total absence of fossil remains in this region, a limitation that has recently been circumvented by population genomics approaches. Different studies have estimated that ancestors of rainforest hunter-gatherers and Bantu-speaking farmers separated more than 60 000 years ago, supporting the occurrence of ancient population structure in Africa since the Late Pleistocene. Conversely, the Holocene in central Africa was characterized by large-scale population migrations associated with the emergence of agriculture, and increased genetic interactions between autochthonous rainforest hunter-gatherers and expanding Bantu-speaking farmers. Genomic scans have detected numerous candidate loci for positive selection in these populations, including convergent adaptation for short stature in groups of rainforest hunter-gatherers and local adaptation to endemic malaria in western and central Africans. Furthermore, there is recent increasing evidence that adaptive variation has been acquired by various African populations through admixture, suggesting a previously unappreciated role of intraspecies gene flow in local adaptation. Ancient and modern DNA studies will greatly broaden, and probably challenge, our view on the past history of central Africa, where introgression from yet uncharacterized archaic hominins and long-term adaptation to distinct ecological niches are suspected.
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27
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Choudhury A, Aron S, Sengupta D, Hazelhurst S, Ramsay M. African genetic diversity provides novel insights into evolutionary history and local adaptations. Hum Mol Genet 2018; 27:R209-R218. [PMID: 29741686 PMCID: PMC6061870 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation and susceptibility to disease are shaped by human demographic history and adaptation. We can now study the genomes of extant Africans and uncover traces of population migration, admixture, assimilation and selection by applying sophisticated computational algorithms. There are four major ethnolinguistic divisions among present day Africans: Hunter-gatherer populations in southern and central Africa; Nilo-Saharan speakers from north and northeast Africa; Afro-Asiatic speakers from north and east Africa; and Niger-Congo speakers who are the predominant ethnolinguistic group spread across most of sub-Saharan Africa. The enormous ethnolinguistic diversity in sub-Saharan African populations is largely paralleled by extensive genetic diversity and until a decade ago, little was known about detailed origins and divergence of these groups. Results from large-scale population genetic studies, and more recently whole genome sequence data, are unravelling the critical role of events like migration and admixture and environmental factors including diet, infectious diseases and climatic conditions in shaping current population diversity. It is now possible to start providing quantitative estimates of divergence times, population size and dynamic processes that have affected populations and their genetic risk for disease. Finally, the availability of ancient genomes from Africa provides historical insights of unprecedented depth. In this review, we highlight some key interpretations that have emerged from recent African genome studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananyo Choudhury
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shaun Aron
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Dhriti Sengupta
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Scott Hazelhurst
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Electrical & Information Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Michèle Ramsay
- Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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28
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Pemberton TJ, Verdu P, Becker NS, Willer CJ, Hewlett BS, Le Bomin S, Froment A, Rosenberg NA, Heyer E. A genome scan for genes underlying adult body size differences between Central African hunter-gatherers and farmers. Hum Genet 2018; 137:487-509. [PMID: 30008065 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-018-1902-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary and biological bases of the Central African "pygmy" phenotype, a characteristic of rainforest hunter-gatherers defined by reduced body size compared with neighboring farmers, remain largely unknown. Here, we perform a joint investigation in Central African hunter-gatherers and farmers of adult standing height, sitting height, leg length, and body mass index (BMI), considering 358 hunter-gatherers and 169 farmers with genotypes for 153,798 SNPs. In addition to reduced standing heights, hunter-gatherers have shorter sitting heights and leg lengths and higher sitting/standing height ratios than farmers and lower BMI for males. Standing height, sitting height, and leg length are strongly correlated with inferred levels of farmer genetic ancestry, whereas BMI is only weakly correlated, perhaps reflecting greater contributions of non-genetic factors to body weight than to height. Single- and multi-marker association tests identify one region and eight genes associated with hunter-gatherer/farmer status, and 24 genes associated with the height-related traits. Many of these genes have putative functions consistent with roles in determining their associated traits and the pygmy phenotype, and they include three associated with standing height in non-Africans (PRKG1, DSCAM, MAGI2). We find evidence that European height-associated SNPs or variants in linkage disequilibrium with them contribute to standing- and sitting-height determination in Central Africans, but not to the differential status of hunter-gatherers and farmers. These findings provide new insights into the biological basis of the pygmy phenotype, and they highlight the potential of cross-population studies for exploring the genetic basis of phenotypes that vary naturally across populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor J Pemberton
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
| | - Paul Verdu
- CNRS-MNHN-Université Paris Diderot, UMR 7206 Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Paris, France.
| | - Noémie S Becker
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Cristen J Willer
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Barry S Hewlett
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA
| | - Sylvie Le Bomin
- CNRS-MNHN-Université Paris Diderot, UMR 7206 Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Evelyne Heyer
- CNRS-MNHN-Université Paris Diderot, UMR 7206 Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Paris, France.
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29
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Novroski NMM, Woerner AE, Budowle B. Insertion within the flanking region of the D10S1237 locus. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2018; 35:e4-e6. [PMID: 29729851 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M M Novroski
- Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA.
| | - August E Woerner
- Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA
| | - Bruce Budowle
- Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA; Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research (CEGMR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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30
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Hsieh P, Hallmark B, Watkins J, Karafet TM, Osipova LP, Gutenkunst RN, Hammer MF. Exome Sequencing Provides Evidence of Polygenic Adaptation to a Fat-Rich Animal Diet in Indigenous Siberian Populations. Mol Biol Evol 2018; 34:2913-2926. [PMID: 28962010 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Siberia is one of the coldest environments on Earth and has great seasonal temperature variation. Long-term settlement in northern Siberia undoubtedly required biological adaptation to severe cold stress, dramatic variation in photoperiod, and limited food resources. In addition, recent archeological studies show that humans first occupied Siberia at least 45,000 years ago; yet our understanding of the demographic history of modern indigenous Siberians remains incomplete. In this study, we use whole-exome sequencing data from the Nganasans and Yakuts to infer the evolutionary history of these two indigenous Siberian populations. Recognizing the complexity of the adaptive process, we designed a model-based test to systematically search for signatures of polygenic selection. Our approach accounts for stochasticity in the demographic process and the hitchhiking effect of classic selective sweeps, as well as potential biases resulting from recombination rate and mutation rate heterogeneity. Our demographic inference shows that the Nganasans and Yakuts diverged ∼12,000-13,000 years ago from East-Asian ancestors in a process involving continuous gene flow. Our polygenic selection scan identifies seven candidate gene sets with Siberian-specific signals. Three of these gene sets are related to diet, especially to fat metabolism, consistent with the hypothesis of adaptation to a fat-rich animal diet. Additional testing rejects the effect of hitchhiking and favors a model in which selection yields small allele frequency changes at multiple unlinked genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- PingHsun Hsieh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | - Brian Hallmark
- Interdisciplinary Program in Statistics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | - Joseph Watkins
- Department of Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | | | - Ludmila P Osipova
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Ryan N Gutenkunst
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | - Michael F Hammer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.,ARL Division of Biotechnology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
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31
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32
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Comparison of Single Genome and Allele Frequency Data Reveals Discordant Demographic Histories. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2017; 7:3605-3620. [PMID: 28893846 PMCID: PMC5677151 DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.300259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Inference of demographic history from genetic data is a primary goal of population genetics of model and nonmodel organisms. Whole genome-based approaches such as the pairwise/multiple sequentially Markovian coalescent methods use genomic data from one to four individuals to infer the demographic history of an entire population, while site frequency spectrum (SFS)-based methods use the distribution of allele frequencies in a sample to reconstruct the same historical events. Although both methods are extensively used in empirical studies and perform well on data simulated under simple models, there have been only limited comparisons of them in more complex and realistic settings. Here we use published demographic models based on data from three human populations (Yoruba, descendants of northwest-Europeans, and Han Chinese) as an empirical test case to study the behavior of both inference procedures. We find that several of the demographic histories inferred by the whole genome-based methods do not predict the genome-wide distribution of heterozygosity, nor do they predict the empirical SFS. However, using simulated data, we also find that the whole genome methods can reconstruct the complex demographic models inferred by SFS-based methods, suggesting that the discordant patterns of genetic variation are not attributable to a lack of statistical power, but may reflect unmodeled complexities in the underlying demography. More generally, our findings indicate that demographic inference from a small number of genomes, routine in genomic studies of nonmodel organisms, should be interpreted cautiously, as these models cannot recapitulate other summaries of the data.
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33
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Tracing the peopling of the world through genomics. Nature 2017; 541:302-310. [PMID: 28102248 DOI: 10.1038/nature21347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 288] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Advances in the sequencing and the analysis of the genomes of both modern and ancient peoples have facilitated a number of breakthroughs in our understanding of human evolutionary history. These include the discovery of interbreeding between anatomically modern humans and extinct hominins; the development of an increasingly detailed description of the complex dispersal of modern humans out of Africa and their population expansion worldwide; and the characterization of many of the genetic adaptions of humans to local environmental conditions. Our interpretation of the evolutionary history and adaptation of humans is being transformed by analyses of these new genomic data.
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34
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Nielsen R, Akey JM, Jakobsson M, Pritchard JK, Tishkoff S, Willerslev E. Tracing the peopling of the world through genomics. Nature 2017; 541. [PMID: 28102248 PMCID: PMC5772775 DOI: 10.1038/nature21347;pmid:28102248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Advances in the sequencing and the analysis of the genomes of both modern and ancient peoples have facilitated a number of breakthroughs in our understanding of human evolutionary history. These include the discovery of interbreeding between anatomically modern humans and extinct hominins; the development of an increasingly detailed description of the complex dispersal of modern humans out of Africa and their population expansion worldwide; and the characterization of many of the genetic adaptions of humans to local environmental conditions. Our interpretation of the evolutionary history and adaptation of humans is being transformed by analyses of these new genomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasmus Nielsen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 942720, USA
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Joshua M Akey
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-5065, USA
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jonathan K Pritchard
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Sarah Tishkoff
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Eske Willerslev
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
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35
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Beltrame MH, Rubel MA, Tishkoff SA. Inferences of African evolutionary history from genomic data. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2016; 41:159-166. [PMID: 27810637 PMCID: PMC5161638 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2016.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Revised: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Africa is the origin of anatomically modern humans and a continent of linguistic, cultural, environmental, phenotypic, and genetic diversity. However, African populations remain underrepresented in genetic studies, which have largely focused on individuals with European and Asian ancestry. The expansion of high-throughput 'omic' technologies to interrogate multiple tissue types across many biomolecules-DNA, proteins, epigenetic modifications, metabolites, and others-has heralded a new era of investigation into African history. In this review, we summarize how some of these recent advances have been applied to contemporary sub-Saharan African populations to inform studies on human origins and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia Holsbach Beltrame
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Meagan A Rubel
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sarah A Tishkoff
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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36
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Gloss AD, Groen SC, Whiteman NK. A genomic perspective on the generation and maintenance of genetic diversity in herbivorous insects. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2016; 47:165-187. [PMID: 28736510 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-121415-032220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the processes that generate and maintain genetic variation within populations is a central goal in evolutionary biology. Theory predicts that some of this variation is maintained as a consequence of adapting to variable habitats. Studies in herbivorous insects have played a key role in confirming this prediction. Here, we highlight theoretical and conceptual models for the maintenance of genetic diversity in herbivorous insects, empirical genomic studies testing these models, and pressing questions within the realm of evolutionary and functional genomic studies. To address key gaps, we propose an integrative approach combining population genomic scans for adaptation, genome-wide characterization of targets of selection through experimental manipulations, mapping the genetic architecture of traits influencing fitness, and functional studies. We also stress the importance of studying the maintenance of genetic variation across biological scales-from variation within populations to divergence among populations-to form a comprehensive view of adaptation in herbivorous insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Gloss
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Simon C Groen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Noah K Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California
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37
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Bankoff RJ, Perry GH. Hunter-gatherer genomics: evolutionary insights and ethical considerations. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2016; 41:1-7. [PMID: 27400119 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2016.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Hunting and gathering societies currently comprise only a small proportion of all human populations. However, the geographic and environmental diversity of modern hunter-gatherer groups, their inherent dependence on ecological resources, and their connection to patterns of behavior and subsistence that represent the vast majority of human history provide opportunities for scientific research to deliver major insights into the evolutionary history of our species. We review recent evolutionary genomic studies of hunter-gatherers, focusing especially on those that identify and functionally characterize phenotypic adaptations to local environments. We also call attention to specific ethical issues that scientists conducting hunter-gatherer genomics research ought to consider, including potential social and economic tensions between traditionally mobile hunter-gatherers and the land ownership-based nation-states by which they are governed, and the implications of genomic-based evidence of long-term evolutionary associations with particular habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Bankoff
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Intercollege Program in Bioethics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - George H Perry
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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38
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Hawks J, Berger LR. The impact of a date for understanding the importance ofHomo naledi. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2016.1178186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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39
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Hsieh P, Woerner AE, Wall JD, Lachance J, Tishkoff SA, Gutenkunst RN, Hammer MF. Model-based analyses of whole-genome data reveal a complex evolutionary history involving archaic introgression in Central African Pygmies. Genome Res 2016; 26:291-300. [PMID: 26888264 PMCID: PMC4772012 DOI: 10.1101/gr.196634.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Comparisons of whole-genome sequences from ancient and contemporary samples have pointed to several instances of archaic admixture through interbreeding between the ancestors of modern non-Africans and now extinct hominids such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. One implication of these findings is that some adaptive features in contemporary humans may have entered the population via gene flow with archaic forms in Eurasia. Within Africa, fossil evidence suggests that anatomically modern humans (AMH) and various archaic forms coexisted for much of the last 200,000 yr; however, the absence of ancient DNA in Africa has limited our ability to make a direct comparison between archaic and modern human genomes. Here, we use statistical inference based on high coverage whole-genome data (greater than 60×) from contemporary African Pygmy hunter-gatherers as an alternative means to study the evolutionary history of the genus Homo. Using whole-genome simulations that consider demographic histories that include both isolation and gene flow with neighboring farming populations, our inference method rejects the hypothesis that the ancestors of AMH were genetically isolated in Africa, thus providing the first whole genome-level evidence of African archaic admixture. Our inferences also suggest a complex human evolutionary history in Africa, which involves at least a single admixture event from an unknown archaic population into the ancestors of AMH, likely within the last 30,000 yr.
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Affiliation(s)
- PingHsun Hsieh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
| | - August E Woerner
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA; Arizona Research Laboratories Division of Biotechnology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Wall
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA
| | - Joseph Lachance
- Department of Biology and Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA; Department of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Sarah A Tishkoff
- Department of Biology and Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Ryan N Gutenkunst
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
| | - Michael F Hammer
- Arizona Research Laboratories Division of Biotechnology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
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