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- Title
The Population-Specific Impact of Neandertal Introgression on Human Disease.
- Authors
Dannemann, Michael
- Abstract
Since the discovery of admixture between modern humans and Neandertals, multiple studies investigated the effect of Neandertal-derived DNA on human disease and nondisease phenotypes. These studies have linked Neandertal ancestry to skin- and hair-related phenotypes, immunity, neurological, and behavioral traits. However, these inferences have so far been limited to cohorts with participants of European ancestry. Here, I analyze summary statistics from 40 disease GWAS (genome-wide association study) cohorts of ∼212,000 individuals provided by the Biobank Japan Project for phenotypic effects of Neandertal DNA. I show that Neandertal DNA is associated with autoimmune diseases, prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes. Many of these disease associations are linked to population-specific Neandertal DNA, highlighting the importance of studying a wider range of ancestries to characterize the phenotypic legacy of Neandertals in people today.
- Subjects
NEANDERTHALS; HUMAN DNA; FOSSIL hominids; TYPE 2 diabetes
- Publication
Genome Biology & Evolution, 2021, Vol 13, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1759-6653
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/gbe/evaa250