scholarly journals Disruptive Selection of Human Immunostimulatory and Immunosuppressive Genes Both Provokes and Prevents Rheumatoid Arthritis, Respectively, as a Self-Domestication Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalya V. Klimova ◽  
Evgeniya Oshchepkova ◽  
Irina Chadaeva ◽  
Ekaterina Sharypova ◽  
Petr Ponomarenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Snp Markers ◽  
Disruptive Selection ◽  
Human Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Domestication Syndrome ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Selection Of

Using our previously published Web service SNP_TATA_Comparator, we conducted a genome-wide study of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within core promoters of 68 human rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related genes. Using 603 SNPs within 25 genes clinically associated with RA-comorbid disorders, we predicted 84 and 70 candidate SNP markers for overexpression and underexpression of these genes, respectively, among which 58 and 96 candidate SNP markers, respectively, can relieve and worsen RA as if there is a neutral drift toward susceptibility to RA. Similarly, we predicted natural selection toward susceptibility to RA for 8 immunostimulatory genes (e.g., IL9R) and 10 genes most often associated with RA (e.g., NPY). On the contrary, using 25 immunosuppressive genes, we predicted 70 and 109 candidate SNP markers aggravating and relieving RA, respectively (e.g., IL1R2 and TGFB2), suggesting that natural selection can simultaneously additionally yield resistance to RA. We concluded that disruptive natural selection of human immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive genes is concurrently elevating and reducing the risk of RA, respectively. So, we hypothesize that RA in human could be a self-domestication syndrome referring to evolution patterns in domestic animals. We tested this hypothesis by means of public RNA-Seq data on 1740 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of pets vs. wild animals (e.g., dogs vs. wolves). The number of DEGs in the domestic animals corresponding to worsened RA condition in humans was significantly larger than that in the related wild animals (10 vs. 3). Moreover, much less DEGs in the domestic animals were accordant to relieved RA condition in humans than those in the wild animals (1 vs. 8 genes). This indicates that the anthropogenic environment, in contrast to a natural one, affects gene expression across the whole genome (e.g., immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive genes) in a manner that likely contributes to RA. The difference in gene numbers is statistically significant as confirmed by binomial distribution (p < 0.01), Pearson’s χ2 (p < 0.01), and Fisher’s exact test (p < 0.05). This allows us to propose RA as a candidate symptom within a self-domestication syndrome. Such syndrome might be considered as a human’s payment with health for the benefits received during evolution.

The origins and rôles of today's livestock breeds.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Geoff Simm ◽  
Geoff Pollott ◽  
Raphael Mrode ◽  
Ross Houston ◽  
Karen Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Artificial Selection ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Breed Improvement ◽  
Huge Variety ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Cattle And Sheep

Abstract The huge variety of animal and other species that we see today, together with those now extinct, evolved by the process of natural selection. The key to natural selection, and to the artificial selection practised by breeders, is the inherited variation in many characteristics that exists between individual animals. Domestication of animals began 12,000 to 10,000 years ago. Whether or not it has been done knowingly, artificial selection, as well as natural selection, has been practised among domestic animals ever since then. Although distinct breeds or strains of cattle and sheep existed long before then, the practices of pedigree recording and selection of related animals with the aim of breed improvement date from the mid-1700s. The formation of herd books began early in the following century. Livestock continue to have a wide range of important rôles globally, with a range of positive and negative societal and environmental impacts, which need to be managed and balanced.

WRESTLING AS A SYMBOL FOR MAINTAINING THE ORDER OF NATURE IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Joseph Azize
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Natural Order ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Time Geography ◽  
Early Dynastic ◽  
Art Works ◽  
Ancient Mesopotamia ◽  
Forms Of Life ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractThere is found in the ancient art of Mesopotamia an enigmatic bearded hero who appears in several attitudes, but often wrestling wild animals. An analysis of the art demonstrates that this figure is a guardian of the natural order. It is now known that the figure is not Gilgameš, as was once thought, but a ''lahmu'' (singular), and that the lahmū (plural) as a class, are the servants of the god Enki. The material considered here reveals a consistent outlook wherein the universe is viewed as being in a dynamic, but not invulnerable, equilibrium. Everything has a place, or better, a latitude, and when it lives and dies within its latitude, balance is maintained. Paradoxically, the appetite of creatures to dominate and prevail over other forms of life was admitted as a legitimate factor in the equation of the universe. Every striving has both a natural scope and a natural limit. The art work in question comprises, as it were, a prayer in pictures that the limits be maintained. From all this a concept of nature implicitly emerges: it is the field wherein gods, demi-gods, humans, animals and plants all struggle to sustain their existence. It is, among other things, where animals and human consume, and protect their own resources from being consumed. The wrestling motif is significant in these art works. With few exceptions, the bearded hero wrestles, rather than stabs, wild beasts attacking domestic animals. Implicitly, it propagates the view that struggle is necessary to maintain the natural balance. Wrestling (checking), not slaying, represents the appointed way to maintain order against the threat of the wild. The wrestling hero thus maintains a ''co-existence of contraries''. Wrestling an opponent allows for the opponent to be subdued without being destroyed. The topic is large, and naturally opens onto other questions. It is necessary to limit the paper, and I have done so in three ways: in time, geography and artistic material. In time, and geographically, I concentrate on Early Dynastic Sumer. I restrict my consideration of the artistic material to the art of cylinder seals, and even then discuss only a selection of the available seals.

scholarly journals Disruptive natural selection by male reproductive potential prevents underexpression of protein-coding genes on the human Y chromosome as a self-domestication syndrome

BMC Genetics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail Ponomarenko ◽  
Maxim Kleshchev ◽  
Petr Ponomarenko ◽  
Irina Chadaeva ◽  
Ekaterina Sharypova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Snp Markers ◽  
Domestication Syndrome ◽  
Disruptive Natural Selection ◽  
Human Y Chromosome

Abstract Background In population ecology, the concept of reproductive potential denotes the most vital indicator of chances to produce and sustain a healthy descendant until his/her reproductive maturity under the best conditions. This concept links quality of life and longevity of an individual with disease susceptibilities encoded by his/her genome. Female reproductive potential has been investigated deeply, widely, and comprehensively in the past, but the male one has not received an equal amount of attention. Therefore, here we focused on the human Y chromosome and found candidate single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers of male reproductive potential. Results Examining in silico (i.e., using our earlier created Web-service SNP_TATA_Z-tester) all 1206 unannotated SNPs within 70 bp proximal promoters of all 63 Y-linked genes, we found 261 possible male-reproductive-potential SNP markers that can significantly alter the binding affinity of TATA-binding protein (TBP) for these promoters. Among them, there are candidate SNP markers of spermatogenesis disorders (e.g., rs1402972626), pediatric cancer (e.g., rs1483581212) as well as male anxiety damaging family relationships and mother’s and children’s health (e.g., rs187456378). First of all, we selectively verified in vitro both absolute and relative values of the analyzed TBP–promoter affinity, whose Pearson’s coefficients of correlation between predicted and measured values were r = 0.84 (significance p <  0.025) and r = 0.98 (p <  0.025), respectively. Next, we found that there are twofold fewer candidate SNP markers decreasing TBP–promoter affinity relative to those increasing it, whereas in the genome-wide norm, SNP-induced damage to TBP–promoter complexes is fourfold more frequent than SNP-induced improvement (p <  0.05, binomial distribution). This means natural selection against underexpression of these genes. Meanwhile, the numbers of candidate SNP markers of an increase and decrease in male reproductive potential were indistinguishably equal to each other (p <  0.05) as if male self-domestication could have happened, with its experimentally known disruptive natural selection. Because there is still not enough scientific evidence that this could have happened, we discuss the human diseases associated with candidate SNP markers of male reproductive potential that may correspond to domestication-related disorders in pets. Conclusions Overall, our findings seem to support a self-domestication syndrome with disruptive natural selection by male reproductive potential preventing Y-linked underexpression of a protein.

The Natural Selection of Minds

1998 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-264
Author(s):  
Joseph F. Rychlak
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Selection Of

scholarly journals Distinct Roles of Vav Family Members in Adaptive and Innate Immune Models of Arthritis

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 695
Author(s):  
Javier Conde ◽  
Isabel Fernández-Pisonero ◽  
Myriam Cuadrado ◽  
Antonio Abad ◽  
Javier Robles-Valero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Zymosan A ◽  
Proliferation And Differentiation ◽  
Signal Transduction Proteins ◽  
Selection Of

Genetic evidence suggests that three members of the VAV family (VAV1, VAV2 and VAV3) of signal transduction proteins could play important roles in rheumatoid arthritis. However, it is not known currently whether the inhibition of these proteins protects against this disease and, if so, the number of family members that must be eliminated to get a therapeutic impact. To address this issue, we have used a collection of single and compound Vav family knockout mice in experimental models for antigen-dependent (methylated bovine serum albumin injections) and neutrophil-dependent (Zymosan A injections) rheumatoid arthritis in mice. We show here that the specific elimination of Vav1 is sufficient to block the development of antigen-induced arthritis. This protection is likely associated with the roles of this Vav family member in the development and selection of immature T cells within the thymus as well as in the subsequent proliferation and differentiation of effector T cells. By contrast, we have found that depletion of Vav2 reduces the number of neutrophils present in the joints of Zymosan A-treated mice. Despite this, the elimination of Vav2 does not protect against the joint degeneration triggered by this experimental model. These findings indicate that Vav1 is the most important pharmacological target within this family, although its main role is limited to the protection against antigen-induced rheumatoid arthritis. They also indicate that the three Vav family proteins do not play redundant roles in these pathobiological processes.

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