Larger Genetic Differences Within Africans Than Between Africans and Eurasians

Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 161 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Yu ◽  
Feng-Chi Chen ◽  
Satoshi Ota ◽  
Lynn B Jorde ◽  
Pekka Pamilo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Nucleotide Diversity ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Noncoding Dna ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Noncoding Regions ◽  
Coding Regions ◽  
Geographic Origins ◽  
History Of ◽  
Out Of Africa

Abstract The worldwide pattern of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation is of great interest to human geneticists, population geneticists, and evolutionists, but remains incompletely understood. We studied the pattern in noncoding regions, because they are less affected by natural selection than are coding regions. Thus, it can reflect better the history of human evolution and can serve as a baseline for understanding the maintenance of SNPs in human populations. We sequenced 50 noncoding DNA segments each ∼500 bp long in 10 Africans, 10 Europeans, and 10 Asians. An analysis of the data suggests that the sampling scheme is adequate for our purpose. The average nucleotide diversity (π) for the 50 segments is only 0.061% ± 0.010% among Asians and 0.064% ± 0.011% among Europeans but almost twice as high (0.115% ± 0.016%) among Africans. The African diversity estimate is even higher than that between Africans and Eurasians (0.096% ± 0.012%). From available data for noncoding autosomal regions (total length = 47,038 bp) and X-linked regions (47,421 bp), we estimated the π-values for autosomal regions to be 0.105, 0.070, 0.069, and 0.097% for Africans, Asians, Europeans, and between Africans and Eurasians, and the corresponding values for X-linked regions to be 0.088, 0.042, 0.053, and 0.082%. Thus, Africans differ from one another slightly more than from Eurasians, and the genetic diversity in Eurasians is largely a subset of that in Africans, supporting the out of Africa model of human evolution. Clearly, one must specify the geographic origins of the individuals sampled when studying π or SNP density.

scholarly journals Chloroplast Noncoding DNA Sequences Reveal Genetic Distinction and Diversity between Wild and Cultivated Prunus yedoensis

2017 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
pp. 434-443
Author(s):  
Eun Ju Cheong ◽  
Myong-Suk Cho ◽  
Seung-Chul Kim ◽  
Chan-Soo Kim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
The United States ◽  
Jeju Island ◽  
Noncoding Dna ◽  
Noncoding Regions ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Prunus Yedoensis ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ornamental Trees

Cultivated flowering cherries (Prunus subgenus Cerasus), which are one of the most popular ornamental trees around the world, have been developed through artificial hybridizations among wild flowering cherries. Among the hundreds of cultivars of flowering cherries, Prunus ×yedoensis ‘Somei-yoshino’ is the most common and widespread. However, its origin and genetic relationship to wild P. yedoensis, naturally occurring on Jeju Island, South Korea, have long been debated. We used sequence polymorphisms in eight chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) noncoding regions to distinguish wild and cultivated flowering cherries among 104 individuals (55 accessions). We were able to distinguish two distinct groups, one corresponding to wild P. yedoensis collections from Jeju Island and the other collections of cultivated P. ×yedoensis from Korea, Japan, and the United States. The chlorotype diversity of wild P. yedoensis in Jeju Island and cultivated P. ×yedoensis collections in the United States was quite high, suggesting multiple natural hybrid origins and long history of cultivation from different original sources, respectively.

Alternative models of Pleistocene biocultural evolution: a response to Foley

Antiquity ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 63 (238) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Single Source ◽  
Recent Discussion ◽  
Garden Of Eden ◽  
Biocultural Evolution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Origins Research

Human origins research has had a long history of vigorous debate. Recent discussion has been no exception, the more so perhaps as the strands of evidence — anthropological, archaeological, and now molecular-biological — are sufficiently diverse that not many can be well placed to deal fairly with them all. Here issue is taken with Foley's cladistic view of human evolution, and with the ‘Garden of Eden’ hypothesis of a single source in Africa for modern human populations.

Human Evolution and Development

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nico Straalen ◽  
Dick Roelofs
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Phylogenetic Reconstruction ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Genome Comparison ◽  
Developmental Genetics ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Evolution And Development ◽  
Comparative Zoology ◽  
History Of

Our understanding of human evolution is proceeding at an unprecedented rate over the last years due to spectacular fossil finds, reconstructions based on genome comparison, ancient DNA sequencing and new insights into developmental genetics. This book takes an integrative approach in which the development of the human embryo, the evolutionary history of our body, the structure of human populations, their dispersal over the world and their cultures are examined by integrating paleoanthropology, developmental biology, comparative zoology, population genetics and phylogenetic reconstruction. The authors discuss questions like: - What do we know about ancient humans? - What happens in the development of an embryo? - How did we manage to walk upright and why did we lose our hair? - What is the relationship between language, migration and evolution? - How does our body respond to the challenges of modern society? In addition to being a core text for the study of the life sciences, Human Evolution and Development is an easy-to-read overview for the interested layperson.

The genetics of Cannabis – genomic variations of key synthases and their effect on cannabinoids content

Genome ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aparna Singh ◽  
Andriy Bilichak ◽  
Igor Kovalchuk
Keyword(s):  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Biosynthesis Pathway ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Genomic Variations ◽  
Coding Regions ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of

Despite being a controversial crop, Cannabis sativa L. has a long history of cultivation throughout the world. Following recent legalisation in Canada, it is emerging as an important plant for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Recent progress in genome sequencing of both cannabis and hemp varieties allows for systematic analysis of genes coding for enzymes involved in the cannabinoid biosynthesis pathway. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding regions of cannabinoid synthases play important role in determining plant chemotype. Deep understanding of how these variants affect enzymes activity and accumulation of cannabinoids will allow breeding of novel cultivars with desirable cannabinoid profile. Here we present a short overview of the major cannabinoid synthases and present the data on the analysis of their genetic variants and their effect on cannabinoid content using several in-house sequenced Cannabis cultivars.

scholarly journals A ‘Denisovan’ genetic history of recent human evolution

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
João C Teixeira ◽  
Alan Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Small Group ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Genetic History ◽  
The World ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans ◽  
History Of ◽  
Out Of Africa ◽  
Western Eurasia ◽  
Genomic Signal

As anatomically modern humans (AMH) migrated out of Africa and around the rest of the world, they met and interbred with multiple extinct hominid species. The traces of genetic input from these past interbreeding events, recorded in the genomes of modern populations, have created a powerful record of recent human migrations. The first of these events occurred between Neandertals, and a small group of AMH shortly after they left Africa, somewhere in western Eurasia around 55-50 ka, and left a genomic signal of about 2% Neandertal DNA that was subsequently spread across the rest of the world. In contrast to the Neandertals, the interbreeding events with other extinct hominid groups – such as the Denisovans, the east Eurasian sister group of Neandertals – remain poorly understood, but are potentially far more complex.

scholarly journals A ‘Denisovan’ genetic history of recent human evolution

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
João C Teixeira ◽  
Alan Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Small Group ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Genetic History ◽  
The World ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans ◽  
History Of ◽  
Out Of Africa ◽  
Western Eurasia ◽  
Genomic Signal

As anatomically modern humans (AMH) migrated out of Africa and around the rest of the world, they met and interbred with multiple extinct hominid species. The traces of genetic input from these past interbreeding events, recorded in the genomes of modern populations, have created a powerful record of recent human migrations. The first of these events occurred between Neandertals, and a small group of AMH shortly after they left Africa, somewhere in western Eurasia around 55-50 ka, and left a genomic signal of about 2% Neandertal DNA that was subsequently spread across the rest of the world. In contrast to the Neandertals, the interbreeding events with other extinct hominid groups – such as the Denisovans, the east Eurasian sister group of Neandertals – remain poorly understood, but are potentially far more complex.

scholarly journals Focusing on human haplotype diversity in numerous individual genomes demonstrates an evolutional feature of each locus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto K. Shimada ◽  
Tsunetoshi Nishida
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Incomplete Lineage Sorting ◽  
Haplotype Diversity ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Haplotype Data ◽  
Out Of Africa

AbstractThe application of current genome-wide sequencing techniques on human populations helps elucidate the considerable gene flow among genus Homo, which includes modern and archaic humans. Gene flow among current human populations has been studied using frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Unlike single nucleotide polymorphism frequency data, haplotype data are suitable for identifying and tracing rare evolutionary events. Haplotype data can also conveniently detect genomic location and estimate molecular function that may be a target of selection. We analyzed eight loci of the human genome using the same procedure for each locus to infer human haplotype diversity and reevaluate past explanations of the evolutionary mechanisms that affected these loci. These loci have been recognized by separate studies because of their unusual gene genealogy and geographic distributions that are inconsistent with the recent out-of-Africa model. For each locus, we constructed genealogies for haplotypes using sequence data of the 1000 Genomes Project. Then, we performed S* analysis to estimate distinct gene flow events other than out-of-Africa events. Furthermore, we also estimated unevenness of selective pressure between haplotypes by Extended Haplotype Homozygosity analysis. Based on the patterns of results obtained by this combination of analyses, we classified the examined loci without using a specific population model. This simple method helped clarify evolutionary events for each locus, including rare evolutionary events such as introgression, incomplete lineage sorting, selection, and haplotype recombination that may be hard to discriminate from each other.

scholarly journals Diverse approaches to analysing the history of human and pathogen evolution: how to tell the story of the past 70 000 years

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1590) ◽  
pp. 765-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Altmann ◽  
F. Balloux ◽  
R. J. Boyton
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Human History ◽  
Pathogen Evolution ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Out Of Africa

The meeting ‘Human evolution, migration and history revealed by genetics, immunity and infection’, along with the follow-on satellite meeting at the Kavli Centre over the subsequent two days, brought together diverse talents. The aim was to see if new insights could be gained by bringing together those who have interests in the past 50–100 000 years of human history, overlaying the perspectives of palaeogeneticists, anthropologists, human geneticists, pathogen geneticists, immunologists, disease modellers, linguists, immunogeneticists, historians and archaeologists. It rapidly became clear that while all may agree on the broad brush-strokes including ‘out-of-Africa’ and the general approximations of timelines, diverse approaches may often suggest somewhat different ways of telling the story.

scholarly journals Human paternal and maternal demographic histories: insights from high-resolution Y chromosome and mtDNA sequences

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Lippold ◽  
Hongyang Xu ◽  
Albert Ko ◽  
Mingkun Li ◽  
Gabriel Renaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Effective Population Size ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Out Of Africa ◽  
Complete Mtdna

To investigate in detail the paternal and maternal demographic histories of humans, we obtained ~500 kb of non-recombining Y chromosome (NRY) sequences and complete mtDNA genome sequences from 623 males from 51 populations in the CEPH Human Genome Diversity Panel (HGDP). Our results: confirm the controversial assertion that genetic differences between human populations on a global scale are bigger for the NRY than for mtDNA; suggest very small ancestral effective population sizes (<100) for the out-of-Africa migration as well as for many human populations; and indicate that the ratio of female effective population size to male effective population size (Nf/Nm) has been greater than one throughout the history of modern humans, and has recently increased due to faster growth in Nf. However, we also find substantial differences in patterns of mtDNA vs. NRY variation in different regional groups; thus, global patterns of variation are not necessarily representative of specific geographic regions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document