Genetic structure correlates with ethnolinguistic diversity in eastern and southern Africa.

ABSTRACT: African populations are the most diverse in the world yet are sorely underrepresented in medical genetics research. Here, we examine the structure of African populations using genetic and comprehensive multi-generational ethnolinguistic data from the Neuropsychiatric Genetics of African Populations-Psychosis study (NeuroGAP-Psychosis) consisting of 900 individuals from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda. We find that self-reported language classifications meaningfully tag underlying genetic variation that would be missed with consideration of geography alone, highlighting the importance of culture in shaping genetic diversity. Leveraging our uniquely rich multi-generational ethnolinguistic metadata, we track language transmission through the pedigree, observing the disappearance of

SUBMITTER: Atkinson EG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9502052 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature