Detection of convergent genome-wide signals of adaptation to tropical forests in humans.

ABSTRACT: Tropical forests are believed to be very harsh environments for human life. It is unclear whether human beings would have ever subsisted in those environments without external resources. It is therefore possible that humans have developed recent biological adaptations in response to specific selective pressures to cope with this challenge. To understand such biological adaptations we analyzed genome-wide SNP data under a Bayesian statistics framework, looking for outlier markers with an overly large extent of differentiation between populations living in a tropical forest, as compared to genetically related populations living outside the forest in Africa and the Americas. The most significant positive selection signals were found in genes related to lipid metabolism, the immune system, bod

SUBMITTER: Amorim CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4388690 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature