Web address:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/
110718085329.htm
Non-Africans Are Part Neanderthal, Genetic Research Shows
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Human chromosomes. (Credit: Jane Ades, NHGRI)
ScienceDaily (July 17, 2011) Some of the human X chromosome originates from
Neanderthals and is found exclusively in people outside Africa, according to an
international team of researchers led by Damian Labuda of the Department of
Pediatrics at the University of Montreal and the CHU Sainte-Justine Research
Center. The research was published in the July issue of Molecular Biology and
Evolution.
"This confirms recent findings suggesting that the two populations interbred,"
says Dr. Labuda. His team places the timing of such intimate contacts and/or
family ties early on, probably at the crossroads of the Middle East.
Neanderthals, whose ancestors left Africa about 400,000 to 800,000 years ago,
evolved in what is now mainly France, Spain, Germany and Russia, and are
thought to have lived until about 30,000 years ago. Meanwhile, early modern
humans left Africa about 80,000 to 50,000 years ago. The question on everyone's
mind has always been whether the physically stronger Neanderthals, who
possessed the gene for language and may have played the flute, were a separate
species or could have interbred with modern humans. The answer is yes, the two
lived in close association.
"In addition, because our methods were totally independent of Neanderthal
material, we can also conclude that previous results were not influenced by
contaminating artifacts," adds Dr. Labuda.
Dr. Labuda and his team almost a decade ago had identified a piece of DNA
(called a haplotype) in the human X chromosome that seemed different and whose
origins they questioned. When the Neanderthal genome was sequenced in 2010,
they quickly compared 6000 chromosomes from all parts of the world to the
Neanderthal haplotype. The Neanderthal sequence was present in peoples across
all continents, except for sub-Saharan Africa, and including Australia.
"There is little doubt that this haplotype is present because of mating with
our ancestors and Neanderthals. This is a very nice result, and further
analysis may help determine more details," says Dr. Nick Patterson, of the
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, a major researcher in human
ancestry who was not involved in this study.
"Dr. Labuda and his colleagues were the first to identify a genetic variation
in non-Africans that was likely to have come from an archaic population. This
was done entirely without the Neanderthal genome sequence, but in light of the
Neanderthal sequence, it is now clear that they were absolutely right!" adds
Dr. David Reich, a Harvard Medical School geneticist, one of the principal
researchers in the Neanderthal genome project.
So, speculates Dr. Labuda, did these exchanges contribute to our success across
the world? "Variability is very important for long-term survival of a species,"
says Dr. Labuda. "Every addition to the genome can be enriching." An
interesting match, indeed.
The study was supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily
staff) from materials provided by University of Montreal.
Journal Reference:
1. V. Yotova, J.-F. Lefebvre, C. Moreau, E. Gbeha, K. Hovhannesyan, S.
Bourgeois, S. Bedarida, L. Azevedo, A. Amorim, T. Sarkisian, P. H. Avogbe, N.
Chabi, M. H. Dicko, E. S. Kou' Santa Amouzou, A. Sanni, J. Roberts-Thomson, B.
Boettcher, R. J. Scott, D. Labuda. An X-Linked Haplotype of Neandertal Origin
Is Present Among All Non-African Populations. Molecular Biology and Evolution,
2011; 28 (7): 1957 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msr024
Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the
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University of Montreal (2011, July 17). Non-Africans are part Neanderthal,
genetic research shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 19, 2011, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2011/07/110718085329.htm
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of
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