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Lynn B Jorde

Publications and source records attributed to Lynn B Jorde.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Comprehensive analysis of Alu-associated diversity on the human sex chromosomes.

A comprehensive analysis of the human sex chromosomes was undertaken to assess Alu-associated human genomic diversity and to identify novel Alu insertion polymorphisms for the study of human evolution. Three hundred forty-five recently integrated Alu elements from eight different Alu subfamilies were identified on the X and Y chromosomes, 225 of which were selected and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). From a total of 225 elements analyzed, 16 were found to be polymorphic on the X chromosome and one on the Y chromosome. In line with previous research using other classes of genetic markers, our results indicate reduced Alu-associated insertion polymorphism on the human sex chromosomes, presumably reflective of the reduced recombination rates and lower effective population sizes on the sex chromosomes. The Alu insertion polymorphisms identified in this study should prove useful for the study of human population genetics.

Alu Elements↗

Alu elements and hominid phylogenetics.

Alu elements have inserted in primate genomes throughout the evolution of the order. One particular Alu lineage (Ye) began amplifying relatively early in hominid evolution and continued propagating at a low level as many of its members are found in a variety of hominid genomes. This study represents the first conclusive application of short interspersed elements, which are considered nearly homoplasy-free, to elucidate the phylogeny of hominids. Phylogenetic analysis of Alu Ye5 elements and elements from several other subfamilies reveals high levels of support for monophyly of Hominidae, tribe Hominini and subtribe Hominina. Here we present the strongest evidence reported to date for a sister relationship between humans and chimpanzees while clearly distinguishing the chimpanzee and human lineages.

Alu Elements↗

Genetic variation among world populations: inferences from 100 Alu insertion polymorphisms.

We examine the distribution and structure of human genetic diversity for 710 individuals representing 31 populations from Africa, East Asia, Europe, and India using 100 Alu insertion polymorphisms from all 22 autosomes. Alu diversity is highest in Africans (0.349) and lowest in Europeans (0.297). Alu insertion frequency is lowest in Africans (0.463) and higher in Indians (0.544), E. Asians (0.557), and Europeans (0.559). Large genetic distances are observed among African populations and between African and non-African populations. The root of a neighbor-joining network is located closest to the African populations. These findings are consistent with an African origin of modern humans and with a bottleneck effect in the human populations that left Africa to colonize the rest of the world. Genetic distances among all pairs of populations show a significant product-moment correlation with geographic distances (r = 0.69, P < 0.00001). F(ST), the proportion of genetic diversity attributable to population subdivision is 0.141 for Africans/E. Asians/Europeans, 0.047 for E. Asians/Indians/Europeans, and 0.090 for all 31 populations. Resampling analyses show that approximately 50 Alu polymorphisms are sufficient to obtain accurate and reliable genetic distance estimates. These analyses also demonstrate that markers with higher F(ST) values have greater resolving power and produce more consistent genetic distance estimates.

Africa↗

Expressivity of Holt-Oram syndrome is not predicted by TBX5 genotype.

Mutations in TBX5, a T-box-containing transcription factor, cause cardiac and limb malformations in individuals with Holt-Oram syndrome (HOS). Mutations that result in haploinsufficiency of TBX5 are purported to cause cardiac and limb defects of similar severity, whereas missense mutations, depending on their location in the T box, are thought to cause either more severe heart or more severe limb abnormalities. These inferences are, however, based on the analysis of a relatively small number of independent cases of HOS. To better understand the relationship between mutations in TBX5 and the variable expressivity of HOS, we screened the coding and noncoding regions of TBX5 and SALL4 for mutations in 55 probands with HOS. Seventeen mutations, including six missense mutations in TBX5 and two mutations in SALL4, were found in 19 kindreds with HOS. Fewer than 50% of individuals with nonsense or frameshift mutations in TBX5 had heart and limb defects of similar severity, and only 2 of 20 individuals had heart or limb malformations of the severity predicted by the location of their mutations in the T box. These results suggest that neither the type of mutation in TBX5 nor the location of a mutation in the T box is predictive of the expressivity of malformations in individuals with HOS.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Following the LINEs: an analysis of primate genomic variation at human-specific LINE-1 insertion sites.

The L1 Ta subfamily of long interspersed elements (LINEs) consists exclusively of human-specific L1 elements. Polymerase chain reaction-based screening in nonhuman primate genomes of the orthologous sites for 249 human L1 Ta elements resulted in the recovery of various types of sequence variants for approximately 12% of these loci. Sequence analysis was employed to capture the nature of the observed variation and to determine the levels of gene conversion and insertion site homoplasy associated with LINE elements. Half of the orthologous loci differed from the predicted sizes due to localized sequence variants that occurred as a result of common mutational processes in ancestral sequences, often including regions containing simple sequence repeats. Additional sequence variation included genomic deletions that occurred upon L1 insertion, as well as successive mobile element insertions that accumulated within a single locus over evolutionary time. Parallel independent mobile element insertions at orthologous loci in distinct species may introduce homoplasy into retroelement-based phylogenetic and population genetic data. We estimate the overall frequency of parallel independent insertion events at L1 insertion sites in seven different primate species to be very low (0.52%). In addition, no cases of insertion site homoplasy involved the integration of a second L1 element at any of the loci, but rather largely involved secondary insertions of Alu elements. No independent mobile element insertion events were found at orthologous loci in the human and chimpanzee genomes. Therefore, L1 insertion polymorphisms appear to be essentially homoplasy free characters well suited for the study of population genetics and phylogenetic relationships within closely related species.

Animals↗

Recently integrated Alu elements and human genomic diversity.

A comprehensive analysis of two Alu Y lineage subfamilies was undertaken to assess Alu-associated genomic diversity and identify new Alu insertion polymorphisms for the study of human population genetics. Recently integrated Alu elements (283) from the Yg6 and Yi6 subfamilies were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and 25 of the loci analyzed were polymorphic for insertion presence/absence within the genomes of a diverse array of human populations. These newly identified Alu insertion polymorphisms will be useful tools for the study of human genomic diversity. Our screening of the Alu insertion loci also resulted in the recovery of several "young" Alu elements that resided at orthologous positions in nonhuman primate genomes. Sequence analysis demonstrated these "young" Alu insertions were the products of gene conversion events of older, preexisting Alu elements or independent parallel forward insertions of older Alu elements in the same short genomic region. The level of gene conversion between Alu elements suggests that it may have an influence on the single nucleotide polymorphism within Alu elements in the genome. We have also identified two genomic deletions associated with the retroposition and insertion of Alu Y lineage elements into the human genome. This type of Alu retroposition-mediated genomic deletion is a novel source of lineage-specific evolution within primate genomes.

Alu Elements↗

LINE-1 preTa elements in the human genome.

The preTa subfamily of long interspersed elements (LINEs) is characterized by a three base-pair "ACG" sequence in the 3' untranslated region, contains approximately 400 members in the human genome, and has low level of nucleotide divergence with an estimated average age of 2.34 million years old suggesting that expansion of the L1 preTa subfamily occurred just after the divergence of humans and African apes. We have identified 362 preTa L1 elements from the draft human genomic sequence, investigated the genomic characteristics of preTa L1 insertions, and screened individual elements across diverse human populations and various non-human primate species using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to determine the phylogenetic origin and levels of human genomic diversity associated with the L1 elements. All of the preTa L1 elements analyzed by PCR were absent from the orthologous positions in non-human primate genomes with 33 (14%) of the L1 elements being polymorphic with respect to insertion presence or absence in the human genome. The newly identified L1 insertion polymorphisms will prove useful as identical by descent genetic markers for the study of human population genetics. We provide evidence that preTa L1 elements show an integration site preference for genomic regions with low GC content. Computational analysis of the preTa L1 elements revealed that 29% of the elements amenable to complete sequence analysis have apparently escaped 5' truncation and are essentially full-length (approximately 6kb). In all, 29 have two intact open reading frames and may be capable of retrotransposition.

Animals↗

Human population genetic structure and inference of group membership.

A major goal of biomedical research is to develop the capability to provide highly personalized health care. To do so, it is necessary to understand the distribution of interindividual genetic variation at loci underlying physical characteristics, disease susceptibility, and response to treatment. Variation at these loci commonly exhibits geographic structuring and may contribute to phenotypic differences between groups. Thus, in some situations, it may be important to consider these groups separately. Membership in these groups is commonly inferred by use of a proxy such as place-of-origin or ethnic affiliation. These inferences are frequently weakened, however, by use of surrogates, such as skin color, for these proxies, the distribution of which bears little resemblance to the distribution of neutral genetic variation. Consequently, it has become increasingly controversial whether proxies are sufficient and accurate representations of groups inferred from neutral genetic variation. This raises three questions: how many data are required to identify population structure at a meaningful level of resolution, to what level can population structure be resolved, and do some proxies represent population structure accurately? We assayed 100 Alu insertion polymorphisms in a heterogeneous collection of approximately 565 individuals, approximately 200 of whom were also typed for 60 microsatellites. Stripped of identifying information, correct assignment to the continent of origin (Africa, Asia, or Europe) with a mean accuracy of at least 90% required a minimum of 60 Alu markers or microsatellites and reached 99%-100% when >/=100 loci were used. Less accurate assignment (87%) to the appropriate genetic cluster was possible for a historically admixed sample from southern India. These results set a minimum for the number of markers that must be tested to make strong inferences about detecting population structure among Old World populations under ideal experimental conditions. We note that, whereas some proxies correspond crudely, if at all, to population structure, the heuristic value of others is much higher. This suggests that a more flexible framework is needed for making inferences about population structure and the utility of proxies.

Africa South of the Sahara↗

Comprehensive analysis of two Alu Yd subfamilies.

Alu elements have inserted in the human genome throughout primate evolution. A small number of Alu insertions have occurred after the divergence of humans from nonhuman primates and therefore should not be present in nonhuman primate genomes. Most of these recently integrated Alu elements are contained with a series of discrete Alu subfamilies that are related to each other based upon diagnostic nucleotide substitutions. We have extracted members of the Alu Yd subfamily that are derivatives of the Alu Y subfamily that share a common 12-bp deletion that defines the Yd lineage from the draft sequence of the human genome. Analysis of the Yd Alu elements resulted in the recovery of two new Alu subfamilies, Yd3 and Yd6, which contain a total of 295 members (198 Yd3 and 97 Yd6). DNA sequence analysis of each of the Alu Yd subfamilies yielded age estimates of 8.02 and 1.20 million years old for the Alu Yd3 and Yd6 subfamilies, respectively. Two hundred Alu Yd3 and Yd6 loci were screened using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to determine their phylogenetic origin and associated levels of human genomic diversity. The Alu Yd3 subfamily appears to have started amplifying relatively early in primate evolution and continued propagating albeit at a low level as many of its members are found in a variety of hominoid (humans, greater and lesser ape) genomes. Only two of the elements are polymorphic in the human genome and absent from the genomes of nonhuman primates. By contrast all of the members of the Alu Yd6 subfamily are restricted to the human genome, with 12% of the elements representing insertion polymorphisms in human populations. A single Alu Yd6 locus contained an independent parallel forward insertion of a paralogous Alu Sq sequence in the owl monkey. These Alu subfamilies are a source of genomic fossil relics for the study of primate phylogenetics and human population genetics.

Alu Elements↗

Mutations in genes encoding fast-twitch contractile proteins cause distal arthrogryposis syndromes.

The distal arthrogryposes (DAs) are a group of disorders characterized by multiple congenital contractures of the limbs. We previously mapped a locus for DA type 2B (DA2B), the most common of the DAs, to chromosome 11. We now report that DA2B is caused by mutations in TNNI2 that are predicted to disrupt the carboxy-terminal domain of an isoform of troponin I (TnI) specific to the troponin-tropomyosin (Tc-Tm) complex of fast-twitch myofibers. Because the DAs are genetically heterogeneous, we sought additional candidate genes by examining modifiers of mutant Drosophila isoforms of TnI. One of these modifiers, Tm2, encodes tropomyosin, another component of the Tc-Tm complex. A human homologue of Tm2, TPM2, encodes beta-tropomyosin and maps to the critical interval of DA type 1 (DA1). We discovered that DA1 is caused by substitution of a highly conserved amino acid residue in beta-tropomyosin. These findings suggest that DAs, in general, may be caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins of the contractile apparatus specific to fast-twitch myofibers. This provides a new opportunity to directly study the etiology and pathogenesis of multiple-congenital-contracture syndromes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A method for detecting recent selection in the human genome from allele age estimates.

Mutations that have recently increased in frequency by positive natural selection are an important component of naturally occurring variation that affects fitness. To identify such variants, we developed a method to test for recent selection by estimating the age of an allele from the extent of haplotype sharing at linked sites. Neutral coalescent simulations are then used to determine the likelihood of this age given the allele's observed frequency. We applied this method to a common disease allele, the hemochromatosis-associated HFE C282Y mutation. Our results allow us to reject neutral models incorporating plausible human demographic histories for HFE C282Y and one other young but common allele, indicating positive selection at HFE or a linked locus. This method will be useful for scanning the human genome for alleles under selection using the haplotype map now being constructed.

Alleles↗

Genetics and population history of Caucasus populations.

We describe aspects of genetic diversity in several ethnic populations of the Caucasus Mountains of Daghestan using mitochondrial DNA sequences and a sample of 100 polymorphic Alu insertion loci. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences are like those of Europe. Principal coordinates and nearest neighbor statistics show that there is little detectable structure in the distances among populations computed from mtDNA. The Alu frequencies of the Caucasus populations suggest that they have undergone more genetic drift than most other groups since the dispersal of modern humans. Genetic differences among these populations are not large; instead, they are of the same order as distances among populations of Europe. We compare two methods of inference about the demography of ancient colonizing populations from Africa, one based on conventional FST statistics and one based on mean Alu insertion frequencies. The two approaches agree reasonably well if we assume that there was demographic growth in Africa before the diaspora of ancestors of contemporary regional human groups outside Africa.

DNA, Mitochondrial↗

A strong signature of balancing selection in the 5' cis-regulatory region of CCR5.

CCR5 encodes a cell surface chemokine receptor molecule that serves as the principal coreceptor, with CD4, for HIV-type 1 (HIV-1). Varied HIV-1 susceptibility and time to progression to AIDS have been associated with polymorphisms in CCR5. Many of these polymorphisms are located in the 5' cis-regulatory region of CCR5, suggesting that it may have been a target of natural selection. We characterized CCR5 sequence variation in this region in 400 chromosomes from worldwide populations and compared it to a genome-wide analysis of 100 Alu polymorphisms typed in the same populations. Variation was substantially higher than expected and characterized by an excess of intermediate-frequency alleles. A genealogy of CCR5 haplotypes had deep branch lengths despite markedly little differentiation among populations. This finding suggested a deviation from neutrality not accounted for by population structure, which was confirmed by tests for natural selection. These results are strong evidence that balancing selection has shaped the pattern of variation in CCR5 and suggest that HIV-1 resistance afforded by CCR5 5' cis-regulatory region haplotypes may be the consequence of adaptive changes to older pathogens.

Alleles↗

A comprehensive analysis of recently integrated human Ta L1 elements.

The Ta (transcribed, subset a) subfamily of L1 LINEs (long interspersed elements) is characterized by a 3-bp ACA sequence in the 3' untranslated region and contains approximately 520 members in the human genome. Here, we have extracted 468 Ta L1Hs (L1 human specific) elements from the draft human genomic sequence and screened individual elements using polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) assays to determine their phylogenetic origin and levels of human genomic diversity. One hundred twenty-four of the elements amenable to complete sequence analysis were full length ( approximately 6 kb) and have apparently escaped any 5' truncation. Forty-four of these full-length elements have two intact open reading frames and may be capable of retrotransposition. Sequence analysis of the Ta L1 elements showed a low level of nucleotide divergence with an estimated age of 1.99 million years, suggesting that expansion of the L1 Ta subfamily occurred after the divergence of humans and African apes. A total of 262 Ta L1 elements were screened with PCR-based assays to determine their phylogenetic origin and the level of human genomic variation associated with each element. All of the Ta L1 elements analyzed by PCR were absent from the orthologous positions in nonhuman primate genomes, except for a single element (L1HS72) that was also present in the common (Pan troglodytes) and pygmy (P. paniscus) chimpanzee genomes. Sequence analysis revealed that this single exception is the product of a gene conversion event involving an older preexisting L1 element. One hundred fifteen (45%) of the Ta L1 elements were polymorphic with respect to insertion presence or absence and will serve as identical-by-descent markers for the study of human evolution.

Animals↗

Gene flow from the Indian subcontinent to Australia: evidence from the Y chromosome.

Phenotypic similarities between Australian Aboriginal People and some tribes of India were noted by T.H. Huxley during the voyage of the Rattlesnake (1846-1850). Anthropometric studies by Birdsell led to his suggestion that a migratory wave into Australia included populations with affinities to tribal Indians. Genetic evidence for an Indian contribution to the Australian gene pool is contradictory; most studies of autosomal markers have not supported this hypothesis (; and references therein). On the other hand, affinities between Australian Aboriginal People and southern Indians were suggested based on maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA. Here, we show additional DNA evidence in support of Huxley's hypothesis of an Indian-Australian connection using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and short tandem repeats (STRs) on the nonrecombining portion of the Y chromosome (NRY). Phylogenetic analyses of STR variation associated with a major Australian SNP lineage indicated tight clustering with southern Indian/Sri Lankan Y chromosomes. Estimates of the divergence time for these Indian and Australian chromosomes overlap with important changes in the archaeological and linguistic records in Australia. These results provide strong evidence for an influx of Y chromosomes from the Indian subcontinent to Australia that may have occurred during the Holocene.

Archaeology↗

Length polymorphism of thymidylate synthase regulatory region in Chinese populations and evolution of the novel alleles.

The tandemly repeated 28-bp sequence in the 5'-terminal regulatory region of human thymidylate synthase (TSER), which has been reported to be polymorphic in different populations, was surveyed in 668 Chinese from 9 Han groups, 8 ethnic populations, and 36 individuals representing a three-generation pedigree. Amplified fragments were separated by electrophoresis on 4% agarose gel. In addition to the reported double and triple repeats of the 28-bp sequence in TSER, we also detected a novel quintuple repeat in this region. The transient expression activity of TSER with the quintuple repeat is almost the same as that of the reported TSER with the triple repeat. All three alleles of the repeat type (2, 3, and 5) were further confined by sequencing. The frequencies of the TSER allele 2 and 3 were 18.82 and 81% in totally unrelated Chinese samples, respectively, while the frequency of allele 3 was variable in different Chinese populations with a range from 62 to 95%. On the basis of the sequences of the different alleles, the existence of the tandem repeats in each allele might be explained by slipped-strand mispairing during DNA replication.

Alleles↗

Larger genetic differences within africans than between Africans and Eurasians.

The worldwide pattern of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation is of great interest to human geneticists, population geneticists, and evolutionists, but remains incompletely understood. We studied the pattern in noncoding regions, because they are less affected by natural selection than are coding regions. Thus, it can reflect better the history of human evolution and can serve as a baseline for understanding the maintenance of SNPs in human populations. We sequenced 50 noncoding DNA segments each approximately 500 bp long in 10 Africans, 10 Europeans, and 10 Asians. An analysis of the data suggests that the sampling scheme is adequate for our purpose. The average nucleotide diversity (pi) for the 50 segments is only 0.061% +/- 0.010% among Asians and 0.064% +/- 0.011% among Europeans but almost twice as high (0.115% +/- 0.016%) among Africans. The African diversity estimate is even higher than that between Africans and Eurasians (0.096% +/- 0.012%). From available data for noncoding autosomal regions (total length = 47,038 bp) and X-linked regions (47,421 bp), we estimated the pi-values for autosomal regions to be 0.105, 0.070, 0.069, and 0.097% for Africans, Asians, Europeans, and between Africans and Eurasians, and the corresponding values for X-linked regions to be 0.088, 0.042, 0.053, and 0.082%. Thus, Africans differ from one another slightly more than from Eurasians, and the genetic diversity in Eurasians is largely a subset of that in Africans, supporting the out of Africa model of human evolution. Clearly, one must specify the geographic origins of the individuals sampled when studying pi or SNP density.

Africa↗