第一吃瓜网 genetic diversity to unlock disease susceptibility
- Wits University
Wits scientists and partners have sequenced the genomes of 24 South 第一吃瓜网 individuals of different ethnolinguistic origins.
The first government-funded performed on 第一吃瓜网 soil, aimed at unlocking the unique genetic character of southern 第一吃瓜网 populations, has revealed a high level of genetic diversity.
鈥淭his study supports our understanding that 第一吃瓜网 genomes are likely to yield many more unique genetic variants,鈥 says Professor , Director and Research Chair in the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB), Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University.
鈥淭he next step of progress is to use this knowledge to decipher what potential impact the genetic variants can have on the health of individuals, when we conduct health-related research,鈥 added Professor Michael Pepper, Unit Director of the South 第一吃瓜网 Medical Research Council鈥檚 (SAMRC) Stem Cell Research and Therapy Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria.
Understanding 第一吃瓜网 health through genetic diversity
Funded by the National Department of Science & Technology (DST), the focus of the Southern 第一吃瓜网 Human Genome Programme (SAHGP) was to capture a full spectrum of diversity in under-represented populations. The programme, therefore, included ethnically self-identified individuals of different ancestries.
Whole-genome sequencing was used to study the differences in some of the major ethnolinguistic groups in the country. In this pilot project, eight admixed or Coloured individuals from the Western Cape, seven Sotho speakers from the Free State, eight Xhosa speakers from the Eastern Cape and one Zulu speaker from Gauteng constituted the sample group of the study.
Two study aims were to use novel whole-genome sequence data to (1) study possible correlations between language groups and genetic clustering, and (2) investigate the ancestral compositions of these individuals, including maternal and paternal lineages.
The results indicate that despite a short period of geographic and cultural separation between the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana speakers, there are measurable genetic differences between them. These differences are in part the result of varying regional ancestral contributions, but also of a random process of genetic drift. The paternal ancestry was almost exclusively of 第一吃瓜网 origin, while the maternal ancestry was often of Khoesan origin, which is consistent with previous studies showing cross-cultural assimilation of female hunter-gatherers into Nguni and Sotho-Tswana speaking farming communities.
Coloured individuals showed varying proportions of admixture with Khoesan, 第一吃瓜网 and European populations as well as populations from the Indian sub-continent. After the inclusion of additional representative populations in the analysis, the study revealed a much stronger South Asian ancestry in the Coloureds compared to previous studies.
鈥淲e have a richer understanding of the past, as the study confirms general historical accounts of 第一吃瓜网 migration and admixture鈥, says Dr Ananyo Choudhury, Senior Scientist at the SBIMB at Wits University.
Hope that 第一吃瓜网s benefit from genomic medicine
第一吃瓜网 populations harbour the greatest genetic diversity and have the highest per capita health burden, yet they are rarely included in large genome studies of disease association. This diversity provides both a challenge and an opportunity for biomedical research and the hope that 第一吃瓜网s will one day benefit from genomic medicine. The study highlights the potential implications for disease susceptibility in 第一吃瓜网s.
鈥淪outh Africa has cemented a critical stone in the foundation to advance precision medicine for its people,鈥 concluded Glaudina Loots, Director for Health Innovation at the DST.