Dec 3 (Reuters) - Scientists have made the mostcomprehensive map yet of African genetic variation and say itshould help them learn more about the role genes play indiseases such as malaria, haemorrhagic fever and hypertension inpopulations there.
Publishing the findings in the journal Nature on Wednesday,Deepti Gurdasani of Britain's Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute,said that despite Africa being the world's most geneticallydiverse region, relatively little is known about potentialgenetic risks for disease among its populations.
In the United States, Europe and Asia, ever faster genesequencing tools mean scientists have begun to untangle thegenetic roots of many major diseases and explore their links toenvironment and lifestyle factors like diet, smoking andexercise.
"Infectious and non-infectious diseases are highly prevalentin Africa and the risk factors for these diseases may be verydifferent from those in European populations," Gurdasani said.
The scientists -- working in partnerships with doctors andresearchers in Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria,South Africa and Uganda -- collected genetic data from more than1,800 people to make a detailed map of 18 so-called"ethnolinguistic" groups in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The data also included 320 whole genome sequences from sevenpopulations.
The team found 30 million genetic variants in the sevensequenced populations, a quarter of which they said had neverpreviously been identified in any human population.
They also found clues about possible genetic regions beinglinked to increased susceptibility to high blood pressure andvarious infectious diseases including malaria, Lassa fever andtrypanosomiasis, all common diseases in some parts of Africa.
"These genetic variants seem to occur with differentfrequencies in disease endemic and non-endemic regions,suggesting that this may have occurred in response to thedifferent environments these populations have been exposed toover time," the scientists wrote.
The study, part of the African Genome Variation Project,also gives clues about the movement of ancient human populations-- supporting a hypothesis that European and Middle Easternpopulations migrated back to Africa around 9,000 years ago. (Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Publishing the findings in the journal Nature on Wednesday,Deepti Gurdasani of Britain's Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute,said that despite Africa being the world's most geneticallydiverse region, relatively little is known about potentialgenetic risks for disease among its populations.
In the United States, Europe and Asia, ever faster genesequencing tools mean scientists have begun to untangle thegenetic roots of many major diseases and explore their links toenvironment and lifestyle factors like diet, smoking andexercise.
"Infectious and non-infectious diseases are highly prevalentin Africa and the risk factors for these diseases may be verydifferent from those in European populations," Gurdasani said.
The scientists -- working in partnerships with doctors andresearchers in Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria,South Africa and Uganda -- collected genetic data from more than1,800 people to make a detailed map of 18 so-called"ethnolinguistic" groups in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The data also included 320 whole genome sequences from sevenpopulations.
The team found 30 million genetic variants in the sevensequenced populations, a quarter of which they said had neverpreviously been identified in any human population.
They also found clues about possible genetic regions beinglinked to increased susceptibility to high blood pressure andvarious infectious diseases including malaria, Lassa fever andtrypanosomiasis, all common diseases in some parts of Africa.
"These genetic variants seem to occur with differentfrequencies in disease endemic and non-endemic regions,suggesting that this may have occurred in response to thedifferent environments these populations have been exposed toover time," the scientists wrote.
The study, part of the African Genome Variation Project,also gives clues about the movement of ancient human populations-- supporting a hypothesis that European and Middle Easternpopulations migrated back to Africa around 9,000 years ago. (Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
via Smart Health Shop Forum http://ift.tt/1FNpeUs
No comments:
Post a Comment