The effect of Neanderthal DNA on gene expression in modern people.

1. What is Neanderthal?The prevailing view in the scientific community is that modern humans are descendants of Homo sapiens in Africa 200,000 years ago.
early Homo homo science migrated to other continents and gradually formed modern humans.
time, in addition to Homoan Africa, there were other species on Earth, such as the Neanderthals, who appeared on the Continent 120,000 years ago.
Neanderthals were close relatives of modern European ancestors and were named after their fossils found in the Neanderthal cave in Germany.
they ruled the whole of Europe, west Asia and northern Africa, but 42,000 years ago these ancient humans disappeared.
2009, the Neanderthal genome map was released.
studies show that between 1% and 4% of the DNA of modern humans in the Middle East and Europe comes from Neanderthals.
2, the influence from Neanderthals, although disappeared 40,000 years later, Neanderthal DNA fragments are still scattered in the genomes of modern people, are they functional components, or silent passers-by? We still don't know.
recently, researchers published a paper in Cell confirming that Neanderthal DNA still affects the turn on or off of modern human genes, which involve features such as height, schizophrenia and lupus.
40,000 years ago, Neanderthal DNA still has an effect on our gene expression," he said.
," said Joshua Akey, a geneticist at the University of Washington and co-author of the paper, "and changes in the amount of those genes expressed further affect our esotexuality and susceptivity to disease."
previous studies have shown that Neanderthal genes are associated with symptoms such as fat metabolism, depression and lupus.
, is it really functional and how does it work? For the study, researchers analyzed RNA-Seq data from Genotype-Tissue (Expression Expression) Project.
For each candidate gene, the researchers looked at the hybrid individuals, two allied genes from modern humans and Neanderthals, and then compared whether there was a difference in the amount of expression between the two allethic genes.
researchers compared a total of 52 tissues.
found that 25 percent of all remaining Neanderthal genes were expressed differently (modern people vs. Neanderthals), " he said.
" said Rajiv McCoy, a postdoctoral student at the University of Washington and lead author of the paper.
neanderthal genes are particularly low in the brain and testicles, suggesting that these tissues have evolved rapidly in modern humans.
we can speculate that there have been dramatic changes in the expression regulation of these genes in the brain and testicles.
," Akey said.
example, ADAMTSL3 is a Neanderthal gene that can affect schizophrenia susceptivity and height.
also shown that ADAMTSL3 can affect the variable shear process.
, when this Neanderthal gene is present, more mRNAs are variablely sheared.
although the link between this process and height and schizophrenia needs further study, this example provides us with a possible mechanism by which Neanderthal genes affect gene expression in modern people.
" intersection of modern Homo homorosia and Neanderthals increased genetic diversity.
" Akey said, "Although the genetic exchange between modern Homo homorosia and Neanderthals occurred 40,000 years ago, fragments of DNA still affect our gene expression extensively today."
the same analysis, the researchers are next to explore the effects of DNA from another species, the Denisovans, on gene expression in modern people.
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