scholarly journals Palaeoproteomic analysis of Pleistocene cave hyenas from east Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiyun Rao ◽  
Yimin Yang ◽  
Jinyi Liu ◽  
Michael V. Westbury ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Proteomic Data ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic

Abstract The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is the only extant species of the genus Crocuta, which once occupied a much wider range during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. However, its origin and evolutionary history is somewhat contentious due to discordances between morphological, nuclear, and mitochondrial data. Due to the limited molecular data from east Asian Crocuta, also known as cave hyena, and the difficulty of extracting ancient DNA from this area, here we present proteomic analysis of cave hyenas from three locations in northern China. This marks the first proteomic data generated from cave hyenas, adding new molecular data to the east Asian populations. Phylogenetic analysis based on these protein sequences reveals two different groups of cave hyenas in east Asia, one of which could not be distinguished from modern spotted hyenas from northern Africa, tentatively the result of previously suggested gene flow between these lineages. With developments of instrumentation and analytical methods, proteomics holds promising potential for molecular phylogenetic reconstructions of ancient fauna previously thought to be unreachable using ancient DNA.

scholarly journals Genetic studies of human diversity in East Asia

2007 ◽  
Vol 362 (1482) ◽  
pp. 987-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Zhang ◽  
Bing Su ◽  
Ya-ping Zhang ◽  
Li Jin
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
The North ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Genetic Diversity And Structure

East Asia is one of the most important regions for studying evolution and genetic diversity of human populations. Recognizing the relevance of characterizing the genetic diversity and structure of East Asian populations for understanding their genetic history and designing and interpreting genetic studies of human diseases, in recent years researchers in China have made substantial efforts to collect samples and generate data especially for markers on Y chromosomes and mtDNA. The hallmark of these efforts is the discovery and confirmation of consistent distinction between northern and southern East Asian populations at genetic markers across the genome. With the confirmation of an African origin for East Asian populations and the observation of a dominating impact of the gene flow entering East Asia from the south in early human settlement, interpretation of the north–south division in this context poses the challenge to the field. Other areas of interest that have been studied include the gene flow between East Asia and its neighbouring regions (i.e. Central Asia, the Sub-continent, America and the Pacific Islands), the origin of Sino-Tibetan populations and expansion of the Chinese.

scholarly journals Population genomics of East Asian ethnic groups

Hereditas ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 157 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziqing Pan ◽  
Shuhua Xu
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Population Genomics ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Asian Populations

AbstractEast Asia constitutes one-fifth of the global population and exhibits substantial genetic diversity. However, genetic investigations on populations in this region have been largely under-represented compared with European populations. Nonetheless, the last decade has seen considerable efforts and progress in genome-wide genotyping and whole-genome sequencing of the East-Asian ethnic groups. Here, we review the recent studies in terms of ancestral origin, population relationship, genetic differentiation, and admixture of major East- Asian groups, such as the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese populations. We mainly focus on insights from the whole-genome sequence data and also include the recent progress based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome data. We further discuss the evolutionary forces driving genetic diversity in East-Asian populations, and provide our perspectives for future directions on population genetics studies, particularly on underrepresented indigenous groups in East Asia.

scholarly journals Trends in mortality rates of cutaneous melanoma in East Asian populations

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Chen ◽  
Shaofei Jin
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
East Asia ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Joinpoint Regression ◽  
The Past ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Mortality Rate Ratio

The incidence of cutaneous melanoma (CM) has rapidly increased over the past four decades. CM is often overlooked in East Asian populations due to its low incidence, despite East Asia making up 22% of the world’s population. Since the 1990s, Caucasian populations have seen a plateau in CM mortality rates; however, there is little data investigating the mortality rates of CM in East Asian populations. In this study, the World Health Organization Mortality Database with the joinpoint regression method, and a generalized additive model were used to investigate trends in age standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) of CM in four East Asia regions (Japan, Republic of Korea (Korea), China: Hong Kong (Hong Kong), and Singapore) over the past six decades. In addition, mortality rate ratios by different variables (i.e., sex, age group, and region) were analyzed. Our results showed ASMRs of CM in East Asia significantly increased non-linearly over the past six decades. The joinpoint regression method indicated women had greater annual percentage changes than men in Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong. Men had significantly greater mortality rate ratio (1.51, 95% CI [1.48–1.54]) than women. Mortality rate ratios in 30−59 and 60+ years were significant greater than in the 0−29 years. Compared to Hong Kong, mortality rate ratio was 0.72 (95% CI [0.70–0.74]) times, 0.73 (95% CI [0.70–0.75]) times, and 1.02 (95% CI [1.00–1.05]) times greater in Japan, Korea, and Singapore, respectively. Although there is limited research investigating CM mortality rates in East Asia, results from the present study indicate that there is a significant growth in the ASMRs of CM in East Asian populations, highlighting a need to raise awareness of CM in the general population.

Mitochondrial cox sequences of Nilaparvata lugens and Sogatella furcifera (Hemiptera, Delphacidae): low specificity among Asian planthopper populations

2013 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 382-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Matsumoto ◽  
Masaya Matsumura ◽  
Sachiyo Sanada-Morimura ◽  
Yoshio Hirai ◽  
Yuki Sato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northern China ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Nilaparvata Lugens ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fixation Index ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Sogatella Furcifera ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Mitochondrial Haplotypes ◽  
East And Southeast Asia

AbstractThe brown planthoppers (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) and the white-backed planthoppers (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) annually migrate from tropical and subtropical regions to temperate regions in Asia, including Japan, Korea and northern China. To elucidate the genetic divergence based on geography of planthoppers and to estimate their migration route on the basis of molecular data, we analysed a part of their mitochondrial genome sequences. Sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox1) – transfer RNA for Leu (trnL2) – cox2 were determined for 579 BPH (1,928 bp) and 464 WBPH (1,927 bp) individuals collected from 31 and 25 locations, respectively, in East and Southeast Asia. Thirty and 20 mitochondrial haplotypes were detected for BPH and WBPH, respectively. Single populations of both planthoppers included multiple haplotypes, and many haplotypes were shared in some populations and areas. The most frequently detected haplotypes accounted for approximately 50% of all BPH and WBPH individuals. To evaluate gene flow among planthoppers in different regions in Asia, pairwise fixation index (Fst) values were calculated. For BPH, high Fst values (0.580–0.926) were shown between planthoppers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the other areas and moderate Fst values (0.176–0.362) were observed between those in southern Philippines and other areas. For WBPH, the Fst value was the highest between Taiwan and southern Vietnam (0.236), and low among the other areas. AMOVA indicated no genetic structure among eight areas, excluding southern Philippines and PNG, for BPH, and among ten areas for WBPH. These data indicate that both planthoppers do not show much differentiation of local populations and/or have genetically intermixed Asian populations. These data also indicate that it may be difficult to distinguish regional planthopper populations on the basis of differences in mitochondrial sequences.

scholarly journals A Bridging Role of Winter Snow over Northern China and Southern Mongolia in Linking the East Asian Winter and Summer Monsoons

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (22) ◽  
pp. 9849-9862
Author(s):  
Mengmeng Lu ◽  
Zhiming Kuang ◽  
Song Yang ◽  
Zhenning Li ◽  
Hanjie Fan
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
Northerly Wind ◽  
Northern Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Winter Snow

AbstractEurasian snow, one of the most important factors that influence the Asian monsoons, has long been viewed as a useful predictor for seasonal monsoon prediction. In this study, observations and model simulations are used to demonstrate a bridging role of the winter snow anomaly over northern China and southern Mongolia (NCSM) in the relationship between the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). Enhanced snow in NCSM results in local surface and tropospheric cooling, strengthening the EAWM through cold-air intrusion induced by northerly wind anomalies. In turn, the stronger EAWM provides a favorable condition for enhanced snowfall over East Asia to the south, indicating an active snow–EAWM interaction. The continental cooling could be maintained until summer due to the memory effect of snowmelt and moistening as well as the snow–monsoon interaction in the spring, causing changes in the meridional temperature gradient and associated upper-level westerlies in the summer. The interaction between the strengthened westerlies over the northern Tibetan Plateau and the topography of the plateau could lead to anomalous downstream convergence and compensating divergence to the south. Therefore, anomalous cyclonic circulation and increased rainfall occur over northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula, but anticyclonic circulation and decreased rainfall appear over the subtropical East Asia–Pacific region. Moreover, limited analysis shows that, compared to sea surface temperature feedback, the direct impact of snow anomaly on the EAWM–EASM connection seems more important.

scholarly journals Exome-Wide Association Study Identifies East Asian-Specific Missense Variant MTHFR C136T Influencing Homocysteine Levels in Chinese Populations RH: ExWAS of tHCY in a Chinese Population

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianzi Liu ◽  
Mohetaboer Momin ◽  
Huiyue Zhou ◽  
Qiwen Zheng ◽  
Fangfang Fan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Association Study ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Missense Variant ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Compound Heterozygote ◽  
Replication Study ◽  
Chinese Han ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Wide Range

Plasma total homocysteine (tHCY) is a known risk factor of a wide range of complex diseases. No genome scans for tHCY have been conducted in East Asian populations. Here, we conducted an exome-wide association study (ExWAS) for tHCY in 5,175 individuals of Chinese Han origin, followed by a replication study in 668 Chinese individuals. The ExWAS identified two loci, 1p36.22 (lead single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1801133, MTHFR C677T) and 16q24.3 (rs1126464, DPEP1), showing exome-wide significant association with tHCY (p < 5E−7); and both loci have been previously associated with tHCY in non-East Asian populations. Both SNPs were replicated in the replication study (p < 0.05). Conditioning on the genotype of C677T and rs1126464, we identified a novel East Asian-specific missense variant rs138189536 (C136T) of MTHFR (p = 6.53E−10), which was also significant in the replication study (p = 9.8E−3). The C136T and C677T variants affect tHCY in a compound heterozygote manner, where compound heterozygote and homozygote genotype carriers had on average 43.4% increased tHCY than had other genotypes. The frequency of the homozygote C677T genotype showed an inverse-U-shaped geospatial pattern globally with a pronounced frequency in northern China, which coincided with the high prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) in northern China. A logistic regression model of HHCY status considering sex, age, and the genotypes of the three identified variants reached an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) value of 0.74 in an independent validation cohort. These genetic observations provide new insights into the presence of multiple causal mutations at the MTHFR locus, highlight the role of genetics in HHCY epidemiology among different populations, and provide candidate loci for future functional studies.

scholarly journals Collect, connect, upscale: Towards coordinated monitoring of migratory shorebirds in the Asia-Pacific

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Fuller ◽  
Micha V. Jackson ◽  
Tatsuya Amano ◽  
Chi-Yeung Choi ◽  
Robert S. Clemens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Population Change ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Migratory Shorebirds ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Technical Solutions

ABSTRACT Monitoring migratory species can be extremely challenging. For example, millions of migratory shorebirds migrate from breeding grounds in northern China, Mongolia and Russia to East Asia and Australasia each year, traversing more than 20 countries while on migration. Studies within individual nations have identified rapid declines in many species, yet progress toward a fully unified scheme for continuous tracking of population change at the scale of the entire East Asian-Australasian Flyway has been slow. To reflect on lessons learned and consider how further progress might be made, we review some of the factors that have limited the full emergence of shorebird monitoring in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, including fragmentation among multiple databases, low data readiness, inadequate metadata and gaps in survey coverage. We conclude that while technical solutions for many of these issues do exist, the biggest challenge is to navigate the significant organisational, socio-cultural and resourcing contexts of those people doing the monitoring. Technical solutions alone will not create a cohesive network of people whose local efforts are pooled to create robust flyway-scale monitoring.

scholarly journals Modulated Responses of East Asian Winter Climate to Anthropogenic Aerosols by Urban Cover in Eastern China

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 471
Author(s):  
Jiechun Deng ◽  
Leying Zhang ◽  
Jing Ma ◽  
Dorina Chyi
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Anthropogenic Aerosols ◽  
Winter Climate ◽  
Climate Responses

The increasing anthropogenic aerosols (AAs) over East Asia have caused significant regional climate responses, but the role of urban land-use changes which occur simultaneously, in altering these AA-induced changes, is not well understood. Here, the modulation of the AAs’ effect on the East Asian winter (November–January) climate by the urban cover in eastern China was investigated using the Community Atmosphere Model version 5.1 coupled with the Community Land Model version 4. Results show that the winter sulfate aerosol burden is higher from central eastern China to southern Japan in the case with the presence of urban cover than in the case without it, resulting from urban-induced circulation changes. Such aerosol changes markedly increase the cloud fraction and precipitation over northern China and the adjacent ocean to the east, especially convection activities around southern Japan. This leads to a cooling effect near the surface over northern China and in the mid-upper troposphere to the east due to aerosol direct and indirect effects. The resulting circulation responses act to shift the mid-tropospheric East Asian trough southward and the upper-level East Asian westerly jet-stream as well, further supporting the surface changes. These winter climate responses to the urban-modulated aerosols can largely offset or even reverse those to the AAs forcing without the urban cover in the model, especially in northern East Asia. This study highlights the need to consider the modulating role of urban land-use changes in assessing the AAs’ climatic effect over East Asia and other regions.

scholarly journals Recent Selection on a Class I ADH Locus Distinguishes Southwest Asian Populations Including Ashkenazi Jews

Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng Gu ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
Andrew Pakstis ◽  
William Speed ◽  
David Gurwitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Fixation Index ◽  
Southwest Asia ◽  
Ashkenazi Jews ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Core Haplotype ◽  
Extended Haplotypes ◽  
Signature Of Selection

The derived human alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)1B*48His allele of the ADH1B Arg48His polymorphism (rs1229984) has been identified as one component of an East Asian specific core haplotype that underwent recent positive selection. Our study has been extended to Southwest Asia and additional markers in East Asia. Fst values (Sewall Wright’s fixation index) and long-range haplotype analyses identify a strong signature of selection not only in East Asian but also in Southwest Asian populations. However, except for the ADH2B*48His allele, different core haplotypes occur in Southwest Asia compared to East Asia and the extended haplotypes also differ. Thus, the ADH1B*48His allele, as part of a core haplotype of 10 kb, has undergone recent rapid increases in frequency independently in the two regions after divergence of the respective populations. Emergence of agriculture may be the common factor underlying the evident selection.

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