Revisiting the Evolution of Lactase Persistence: Insights from South Asian Genomes.

ABSTRACT: Lactase persistence ( LP ), the ability to digest lactose from milk into adulthood, is a classic example of natural selection in humans. Multiple mutations upstream of the LCT gene are associated with LP and have been previously shown to be under selection in Europeans and Africans. South Asia is the world's largest producer of dairy, and milk and dairy products are widely consumed throughout the subcontinent. However, the origin, evolutionary history and selective pressures associated with LP in South Asia remain elusive. We assembled genome-wide data from ~8,000 present-day and ancient genomes from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, spanning diverse timescales (~3300 BCE-1650 CE), geographic regions, and ethnolinguistic and subsistence groups. We find that the Eurasian LP -associate

SUBMITTER: Kerdoncuff E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12637507 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature