Demographic history and linkage disequilibrium in human populations

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maris Laan ◽  
Svante Pääbo
Keyword(s):  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Human Populations

scholarly journals Models of archaic admixture and recent history from two-locus statistics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron P. Ragsdale ◽  
Simon Gravel
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Population History ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Evolutionary Models ◽  
Human History ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Archaic Admixture

AbstractWe learn about population history and underlying evolutionary biology through patterns of genetic polymorphism. Many approaches to reconstruct evolutionary histories focus on a limited number of informative statistics describing distributions of allele frequencies or patterns of linkage disequilibrium. We show that many commonly used statistics are part of a broad family of two-locus moments whose expectation can be computed jointly and rapidly under a wide range of scenarios, including complex multi-population demographies with continuous migration and admixture events. A full inspection of these statistics reveals that widely used models of human history fail to predict simple patterns of linkage disequilibrium. To jointly capture the information contained in classical and novel statistics, we implemented a tractable likelihood-based inference framework for demographic history. Using this approach, we show that human evolutionary models that include archaic admixture in Africa, Asia, and Europe provide a much better description of patterns of genetic diversity across the human genome. We estimate that an unidentified, deeply diverged population admixed with modern humans within Africa both before and after the split of African and Eurasian populations, contributing 4-8% genetic ancestry to individuals in world-wide populations.Author SummaryThroughout human history, populations have expanded and contracted, split and merged, and ex-changed migrants. Because these events affected genetic diversity, we can learn about human history by comparing predictions from evolutionary models to genetic data. Here, we show how to rapidly compute such predictions for a wide range of diversity measures within and across populations under complex demographic scenarios. While widely used models of human history accurately predict common measures of diversity, we show that they strongly underestimate the co-occurence of low frequency mutations within human populations in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Models allowing for archaic admixture, the relatively recent mixing of human populations with deeply diverged human lineages, resolve this discrepancy. We use such models to infer demographic models that include both recent and ancient features of human history. We recover the well-characterized admixture of Neanderthals in Eurasian populations, as well as admixture from an as-yet unknown diverged human population within Africa, further suggesting that admixture with deeply diverged lineages occurred multiple times in human history. By simultaneously testing model predictions for a broad range of diversity statistics, we can assess the robustness of common evolutionary models, identify missing historical events, and build more informed models of human demography.

scholarly journals Mitonuclear linkage disequilibrium in human populations

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1815) ◽  
pp. 20151704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel B. Sloan ◽  
Peter D. Fields ◽  
Justin C. Havird
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Extensive Study ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy ◽  
Genomic Regions ◽  
Human Health Effects

There is extensive evidence from model systems that disrupting associations between co-adapted mitochondrial and nuclear genotypes can lead to deleterious and even lethal consequences. While it is tempting to extrapolate from these observations and make inferences about the human-health effects of altering mitonuclear associations, the importance of such associations may vary greatly among species, depending on population genetics, demographic history and other factors. Remarkably, despite the extensive study of human population genetics, the statistical associations between nuclear and mitochondrial alleles remain largely uninvestigated. We analysed published population genomic data to test for signatures of historical selection to maintain mitonuclear associations, particularly those involving nuclear genes that encode mitochondrial-localized proteins (N-mt genes). We found that significant mitonuclear linkage disequilibrium (LD) exists throughout the human genome, but these associations were generally weak, which is consistent with the paucity of population genetic structure in humans. Although mitonuclear LD varied among genomic regions (with especially high levels on the X chromosome), N-mt genes were statistically indistinguishable from background levels, suggesting that selection on mitonuclear epistasis has not preferentially maintained associations involving this set of loci at a species-wide level. We discuss these findings in the context of the ongoing debate over mitochondrial replacement therapy.

scholarly journals An Ancient Baboon Genome Demonstrates Long-Term Population Continuity in Southern Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Mathieson ◽  
Federico Abascal ◽  
Lasse Vinner ◽  
Pontus Skoglund ◽  
Cristina Pomilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Papio Ursinus ◽  
Anthropological Research ◽  
Population Continuity ◽  
High Degree

Abstract Baboons are one of the most abundant large nonhuman primates and are widely studied in biomedical, behavioral, and anthropological research. Despite this, our knowledge of their evolutionary and demographic history remains incomplete. Here, we report a 0.9-fold coverage genome sequence from a 5800-year-old baboon from the site of Ha Makotoko in Lesotho. The ancient baboon is closely related to present-day Papio ursinus individuals from southern Africa—indicating a high degree of continuity in the southern African baboon population. This level of population continuity is rare in recent human populations but may provide a good model for the evolution of Homo and other large primates over similar timespans in structured populations throughout Africa.

scholarly journals Genomic and demographic processes differentially influence genetic variation across the X chromosome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Cotter ◽  
Timothy H. Webster ◽  
Melissa A. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Ideal System ◽  
Demographic Patterns

AbstractMutation, recombination, selection, and demography affect genetic variation across the genome. Increased mutation and recombination both lead to increases in genetic diversity in a region-specific manner, while complex demographic patterns shape patterns of diversity on a more global scale. The X chromosome is particularly interesting because it contains several distinct regions that are subject to different combinations and strengths of these processes, notably the pseudoautosomal regions (PARs) and the X-transposed region (XTR). The X chromosome thus can serve as a unique model for studying how genetic and demographic forces act in different contexts to shape patterns of observed variation. Here we investigate diversity, divergence, and linkage disequilibrium in each region of the X chromosome using genomic data from 26 human populations. We find that both diversity and substitution rate are consistently elevated in PAR1 and the XTR compared to the rest of the X chromosome. In contrast, linkage disequilibrium is lowest in PAR1 and highest on the non-recombining X chromosome, with the XTR falling in between, suggesting that the XTR (usually included in the non-recombining X) may need to be considered separately in future studies. We also observed strong population-specific effects on genetic diversity; not only does genetic variation differ on the X and autosomes among populations, but the effects of linked selection on the X relative to autosomes have been shaped by population-specific history. The substantial variation in patterns of variation across these regions provides insight into the unique evolutionary history contained within the X chromosome.Significance StatementDemography and selection affect the X chromosome differently from non-sex chromosomes. However, the X chromosome can be subdivided into multiple distinct regions that facilitate even more fine-scaled assessment of these processes. Here we study regions of the human X chromosome in 26 populations to find evidence that recombination may be mutagenic in humans and that the X-transposed region may undergo recombination. Further we observe that the effects of selection and demography act differently on the X chromosome relative to the autosomes across human populations. Together, our results highlight profound regional differences across the X chromosome, simultaneously making it an ideal system for exploring the action of evolutionary forces as well as necessitating its careful consideration and treatment in genomic analyses.

scholarly journals Demographic history shaped geographical patterns of deleterious mutation load in a broadly distributed Pacific Salmon

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quentin Rougemont ◽  
Jean-Sébastien Moore ◽  
Thibault Leroy ◽  
Eric Normandeau ◽  
Eric B. Rondeau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Glacial Refugium ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Deleterious Mutations ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Geographical Patterns ◽  
Genome Wide Data

AbstractA thorough reconstruction of historical processes is essential for a comprehensive understanding the mechanisms shaping patterns of genetic diversity. Indeed, past and current conditions influencing effective population size have important evolutionary implications for the efficacy of selection, increased accumulation of deleterious mutations, and loss of adaptive potential. Here, we gather extensive genome-wide data that represent the extant diversity of the Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) to address two objectives. We demonstrate that a single glacial refugium is the source of most of the present-day genetic diversity, with detectable inputs from a putative secondary micro-refugium. We found statistical support for a scenario whereby ancestral populations located south of the ice sheets expanded in postglacial time, swamping out most of the diversity from other putative micro-refugia. Demographic inferences revealed that genetic diversity was also affected by linked selection in large parts of the genome. Moreover, we demonstrate that the recent demographic history of this species generated regional differences in the load of deleterious mutations among populations, a finding that mirrors recent results from human populations and provides increased support for models of expansion load. We propose that insights from these historical inferences should be better integrated in conservation planning of wild organisms, which currently focuses largely on neutral genetic diversity and local adaptation, with the role of potentially maladaptive variation being generally ignored.

scholarly journals Terc Gene Cluster Variants Predict Liver Telomere Length in Mice

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2623
Author(s):  
Dana Zeid ◽  
Sean Mooney-Leber ◽  
Laurel R. Seemiller ◽  
Lisa R. Goldberg ◽  
Thomas J. Gould
Keyword(s):  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Inbred Mice ◽  
Inbred Mouse ◽  
Mouse Strains ◽  
Chromosome 3 ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Initial Finding

Variants in a gene cluster upstream-adjacent to TERC on human chromosome 3, which includes genes APRM, LRRC31, LRRC34 and MYNN, have been associated with telomere length in several human populations. Currently, the mechanism by which variants in the TERC gene cluster influence telomere length in humans is unknown. Given the proximity between the TERC gene cluster and TERC (~0.05 Mb) in humans, it is speculated that cluster variants are in linkage disequilibrium with a TERC causal variant. In mice, the Terc gene/Terc gene cluster are also located on chromosome 3; however, the Terc gene cluster is located distantly downstream of Terc (~60 Mb). Here, we initially aim to investigate the interactions between genotype and nicotine exposure on absolute liver telomere length (aTL) in a panel of eight inbred mouse strains. Although we found no significant impact of nicotine on liver aTL, this first experiment identified candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the murine Terc gene cluster (within genes Lrrc31, Lrriq4 and Mynn) co-varying with aTL in our panel. In a second experiment, we tested the association of these Terc gene cluster variants with liver aTL in an independent panel of eight inbred mice selected based on candidate SNP genotype. This supported our initial finding that Terc gene cluster polymorphisms impact aTL in mice, consistent with data in human populations. This provides support for mice as a model for telomere dynamics, especially for studying mechanisms underlying the association between Terc cluster variants and telomere length. Finally, these data suggest that mechanisms independent of linkage disequilibrium between the Terc/TERC gene cluster and the Terc/TERC gene mediate the cluster’s regulation of telomere length.

scholarly journals Linkage Disequilibrium and Demographic History of Wild and Domestic Canids

Genetics ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 181 (4) ◽  
pp. 1493-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa M. Gray ◽  
Julie M. Granka ◽  
Carlos D. Bustamante ◽  
Nathan B. Sutter ◽  
Adam R. Boyko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
History Of

scholarly journals Whole genome sequences are required to fully resolve the linkage disequilibrium structure of human populations

BMC Genomics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reuben J. Pengelly ◽  
William Tapper ◽  
Jane Gibson ◽  
Marcin Knut ◽  
Rick Tearle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Linkage Disequilibrium Structure ◽  
Genome Sequences

scholarly journals Demographic history and rare allele sharing among human populations

2011 ◽  
Vol 108 (29) ◽  
pp. 11983-11988 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Gravel ◽  
B. M. Henn ◽  
R. N. Gutenkunst ◽  
A. R. Indap ◽  
G. T. Marth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Demographic History ◽  
Rare Allele ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Allele Sharing
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