Systematic underestimation of the age of selected alleles

Demographic history differences between Hispanics and Brazilians imprint haplotype features

Admixture is known to greatly impact the genetic landscape of a population and, while genetic variation underlying human phenotypes has been shown to differ among populations, studies on admixed subjects are still scarce. Latin American populations are the result of complex demographic history, such as 2 or 3-way admixing events, bottlenecks and/or expansions, and adaptive events unique to the American continent. To explore the impact of these events on the genetic structure of Latino populations, we evaluated the following haplotype features: linkage disequilibrium, shared identity by descent segments, runs of homozygosity, and extended haplotype homozygosity (integrated haplotype score) in Latinos represented in the 1000 Genome Project along with array data from 171 Brazilians sampled in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil. We found that linkage disequilibrium decay relates to the amount of American and African ancestry. The extent of identity by descent sharing positively correlates with historical effective population sizes, which we found to be steady or growing, except for Puerto Ricans and Colombians. Long runs of homozygosity, a particular instance of autozygosity, was only enriched in Peruvians and Native Americans. We used simulations to account for random sampling and linkage disequilibrium to filter positive selection indexes and found 244 unique markers under selection, 26 of which are common to 2 or more populations. Some markers exhibiting positive selection signals had estimated time to the most recent common ancestor consistent with human adaptation to the American continent. In conclusion, Latino populations present highly divergent haplotype characteristics that impact genetic architecture and underlie complex phenotypes.

Population genetic evidence for positive and purifying selection acting at the human IFN-γ locus in Africa

Despite its critical role in the defense against microbial infection and tumor development, little is known about the range of nucleotide and haplotype variation at IFN-γ, or the evolutionary forces that have shaped patterns of diversity at this locus. To address this gap in knowledge, we examined sequence data from the IFN-γ gene in 1461 individuals from 15 worldwide populations. Our analyses uncovered novel patterns of variation in distinct African populations, including an excess of high frequency-derived alleles, unusually long haplotype structure surrounding the IFN-γ gene, and a "star-like" genealogy of African-specific haplotypes carrying variants previously associated with infectious disease. We also inferred a deep time to coalescence of variation at IFN-γ (~ 0.8 million years ago) and ancient ages for common polymorphisms predating the evolution of modern humans. Taken together, these results are congruent with a model of positive selection on standing variation in African populations. Furthermore, we inferred that common variants in intron 3 of IFN-γ are the likely targets of selection. In addition, we observed a paucity of non-synonymous substitutions relative to synonymous changes in the exons of IFN-γ in African and non-African populations, suggestive of strong purifying selection. Therefore, we contend that positive and purifying selection have influenced levels of diversity in different regions of IFN-γ, implying that these distinct genic regions are, or have been, functionally important. Overall, this study provides additional insights into the evolutionary events that have contributed to the frequency and distribution of alleles having a role in human health and disease.

Agriculture, population growth, and statistical analysis of the radiocarbon record

The human population has grown significantly since the onset of the Holocene about 12,000 y ago. Despite decades of research, the factors determining prehistoric population growth remain uncertain. Here, we examine measurements of the rate of growth of the prehistoric human population based on statistical analysis of the radiocarbon record. We find that, during most of the Holocene, human populations worldwide grew at a long-term annual rate of 0.04%. Statistical analysis of the radiocarbon record shows that transitioning farming societies experienced the same rate of growth as contemporaneous foraging societies. The same rate of growth measured for populations dwelling in a range of environments and practicing a variety of subsistence strategies suggests that the global climate and/or endogenous biological factors, not adaptability to local environment or subsistence practices, regulated the long-term growth of the human population during most of the Holocene. Our results demonstrate that statistical analyses of large ensembles of radiocarbon dates are robust and valuable for quantitatively investigating the demography of prehistoric human populations worldwide.

Origin and differential selection of allelic variation at TAS2R16 associated with salicin bitter taste sensitivity in Africa

Bitter taste perception influences human nutrition and health, and the genetic variation underlying this trait may play a role in disease susceptibility. To better understand the genetic architecture and patterns of phenotypic variability of bitter taste perception, we sequenced a 996 bp region, encompassing the coding exon of TAS2R16, a bitter taste receptor gene, in 595 individuals from 74 African populations and in 94 non-Africans from 11 populations. We also performed genotype-phenotype association analyses of threshold levels of sensitivity to salicin, a bitter anti-inflammatory compound, in 296 individuals from Central and East Africa. In addition, we characterized TAS2R16 mutants in vitro to investigate the effects of polymorphic loci identified at this locus on receptor function. Here, we report striking signatures of positive selection, including significant Fay and Wu's H statistics predominantly in East Africa, indicating strong local adaptation and greater genetic structure among African populations than expected under neutrality. Furthermore, we observed a "star-like" phylogeny for haplotypes with the derived allele at polymorphic site 516 associated with increased bitter taste perception that is consistent with a model of selection for "high-sensitivity" variation. In contrast, haplotypes carrying the "low-sensitivity" ancestral allele at site 516 showed evidence of strong purifying selection. We also demonstrated, for the first time, the functional effect of nonsynonymous variation at site 516 on salicin phenotypic variance in vivo in diverse Africans and showed that most other nonsynonymous substitutions have weak or no effect on cell surface expression in vitro, suggesting that one main polymorphism at TAS2R16 influences salicin recognition. Additionally, we detected geographic differences in levels of bitter taste perception in Africa not previously reported and infer an East African origin for high salicin sensitivity in human populations.

How old is my gene?

Gene functions, interactions, disease associations, and ecological distributions are all correlated with gene age. However, it is challenging to estimate the intricate series of evolutionary events leading to a modern-day gene and then to reduce this history to a single age estimate. Focusing on eukaryotic gene families, we introduce a framework that can be used to compare current strategies for quantifying gene age, discuss key differences between these methods, and highlight several common problems. We argue that genes with complex evolutionary histories do not have a single well-defined age. As a result, care must be taken to articulate the goals and assumptions of any analysis that uses gene age estimates. Recent algorithmic advances offer the promise of gene age estimates that are fast, accurate, and consistent across gene families. This will enable a shift to integrated genome-wide analyses of all events in gene evolutionary histories in the near future.