The phenotypic legacy of admixture between modern humans and Neandertals.

Many modern human genomes retain DNA inherited from interbreeding with archaic hominins, such as Neandertals, yet the influence of this admixture on human traits is largely unknown. We analyzed the contribution of common Neandertal variants to over 1000 electronic health record (EHR)-derived phenotypes in 28,000 adults of European ancestry. We discovered and replicated associations of […]

The phenotypic legacy of admixture between modern humans and Neandertals.

Simonti CN, Vernot B, Bastarache L, Bottinger E, Carrell DS, Chisholm RL, Crosslin DR, Hebbring SJ, Jarvik GP, Kullo IJ, Li R, Pathak J, Ritchie MD, Roden DM, Verma SS, Tromp G, Prato JD, Bush WS, Akey JM, Denny JC, Capra JA,. Many modern human genomes retain DNA inherited from interbreeding with archaic hominins, such […]

Putting pleiotropy and selection into context defines a new paradigm for interpreting genetic data.

Natural selection shapes many human genes, including some related to complex diseases. Understanding how selection affects genes, especially pleiotropic ones, may be important in evaluating disease associations and the role played by environmental variation. This may be of particular interest for genes with antagonistic roles that cause divergent patterns of selection. The lectin-like low-density lipoprotein […]