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Low prevalence of lactase persistence in bronze age europe indicates ongoing strong selection over the last 3,000 years

  • Burger, Joachim Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany -
  • Link, Vivian Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland - Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland -
  • Blöcher, Jens Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany -
  • Schulz, Anna Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, Cluster of Excellence Understanding Written Artefacts, Hamburg University, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
  • Sell, Christian Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
  • Pochon, Zoé Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland - Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Diekmann, Yoan Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
  • Žegarac, Aleksandra Laboratory of Bioarchaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
  • Hofmanová, Zuzana Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland - Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Winkelbach, Laura Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
  • Reyna-Blanco, Carlos S. Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland - Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Bieker, Vanessa Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7012 Trondheim, Norway
  • Orschiedt, Jörg Institut für Prähistorische Archäologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstr. 23-25, 14195 Berlin, Germany - Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, Richard-Wagner-Straße 9, 06114 Halle (Saale), Germany
  • Brinker, Ute Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, Richard-Wagner-Straße 9, 06114 Halle (Saale), Germany - State Agency for Heritage Service of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Domhof 4, 19055 Schwerin, Germany
  • Scheu, Amelie Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
  • Leuenberger, Christoph Department of Mathematics, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Bertino, Thomas S. Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5245, USA
  • Bollongino, Ruth 108a Central Road, Upper Moutere 7175, New Zealand
  • Lidke, Gundula Schloßstraße 50, 14059 Berlin, Germany
  • Stefanović, Sofija Laboratory of Bioarchaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia - BioSense Institute, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar Zorana Dindica 1, Novi Sad 21000, Serbia
  • Jantzen, Detlef State Agency for Heritage Service of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Domhof 4, 19055 Schwerin, Germany
  • Kaiser, Elke Institut für Prähistorische Archäologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstr. 23-25, 14195 Berlin, Germany
  • Terberger, Thomas Seminar for Pre- and Protohistory, University of Göttingen, Nikolausberger Weg 15, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
  • Thomas, Mark G. Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK - UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
  • Veeramah, Krishna R. Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5245, USA
  • Wegmann, Daniel Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland - Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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    03.09.2020
Published in:
  • Current Biology. - 2020, vol. 30, no. 21, p. 4307-4315
English Lactase persistence (LP), the continued expression of lactase into adulthood, is the most strongly selected single gene trait over the last 10,000 years in multiple human populations. It has been posited that the primary allele causing LP among Eurasians, rs4988235-A [1], only rose to appreciable frequencies during the Bronze and Iron Ages [2, 3], long after humans started consuming milk from domesticated animals. This rapid rise has been attributed to an influx of people from the Pontic-Caspian steppe that began around 5,000 years ago [4, 5]. We investigate the spatiotemporal spread of LP through an analysis of 14 warriors from the Tollense Bronze Age battlefield in northern Germany (∼3,200 before present, BP), the oldest large-scale conflict site north of the Alps. Genetic data indicate that these individuals represent a single unstructured Central/Northern European population. We complemented these data with genotypes of 18 individuals from the Bronze Age site Mokrin in Serbia (∼4,100 to ∼3,700 BP) and 37 individuals from Eastern Europe and the Pontic- Caspian Steppe region, predating both Bronze Age sites (∼5,980 to ∼3,980 BP). We infer low LP in all three regions, i.e., in northern Germany and South-eastern and Eastern Europe, suggesting that the surge of rs4988235 in Central and Northern Europe was unlikely caused by Steppe expansions. We estimate a selection coefficient of 0.06 and conclude that the selection was ongoing in various parts of Europe over the last 3,000 years.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Biologie
Language
  • English
Classification
Biological sciences
License
License undefined
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Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/308775
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