Balanced polymorphism in bottlenecked populations: The case of the CCR5 5′ cis-regulatory region in Amazonian Amerindians

CCR2, CCR5, and CXCL12 variation and HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea

Polymorphisms in chemokine receptors, serving as HIV co-receptors, and their ligands are among the well-known host genetic factors associated with susceptibility to HIV infection and/or disease progression. Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the highest adult HIV prevalences in the Asia-Pacific region. However, information regarding the distribution of polymorphisms in chemokine receptor (CCR5, CCR2) and chemokine (CXCL12) genes in PNG is very limited. In this study, we genotyped a total of nine CCR2-CCR5 polymorphisms, including CCR2 190G >A, CCR5 -2459G >A and Δ32, and CXCL12 801G >A in PNG (n=258), North America (n=184), and five countries in West Africa (n=178). Using this data, we determined previously characterized CCR5 haplotypes. In addition, based on the previously reported associations of CCR2 190, CCR5 -2459, CCR5 open reading frame, and CXCL12 801 genotypes with HIV acquisition and/or disease progression, we calculated composite full risk scores, considering both protective as well as susceptibility effects of the CXCL12 801 AA genotype. We observed a very high frequency of the CCR5 -2459A allele (0.98) in the PNG population, which together with the absence of Δ32 resulted in a very high frequency of the HHE haplotype (0.92). These frequencies were significantly higher than in any other population (all P-values<0.001). Regardless of whether we considered the CXCL12 801 AA genotype protective or susceptible, the risk scores were significantly higher in the PNG population compared with any other population (all P-values<0.001). The results of this study provide new insights regarding CCR5 variation in the PNG population, and suggest that the collective variation in CCR2, CCR5, and CXCL12 may increase the risk of HIV/AIDS in a large majority of Papua New Guineans.

Rec-8 dimorphism affects longevity, stress resistance and X-chromosome nondisjunction in C. elegans, and replicative lifespan in S. cerevisiae

A quantitative trait locus (QTL) in the nematode C. elegans, “lsq4,” was recently implicated by mapping longevity genes. QTLs for lifespan and three stress-resistance traits coincided within a span of <300 kbp, later narrowed to <200 kbp. A single gene in this interval is now shown to modulate all lsq4-associated traits. Full-genome analysis of transcript levels indicates that lsq4 contains a dimorphic gene governing the expression of many sperm-specific genes, suggesting an effect on spermatogenesis. Quantitative analysis of allele-specific transcripts encoded within the lsq4 interval revealed significant, 2- to 15-fold expression differences for 10 of 33 genes. Fourteen “dual-candidate” genes, implicated by both position and expression, were tested for RNA-interference effects on QTL-linked traits. In a strain carrying the shorter-lived allele, knockdown of rec-8 (encoding a meiotic cohesin) reduced its transcripts 4-fold, to a level similar to the longer-lived strain, while extending lifespan 25–26%, whether begun before fertilization or at maturity. The short-lived lsq4 allele also conferred sensitivity to oxidative and thermal stresses, and lower male frequency (reflecting X-chromosome non-disjunction), traits reversed uniquely by rec-8 knockdown. A strain bearing the longer-lived lsq4 allele, differing from the short-lived strain at <0.3% of its genome, derived no lifespan or stress-survival benefit from rec-8 knockdown. We consider two possible explanations: high rec-8 expression may include increased “leaky” expression in mitotic cells, leading to deleterious destabilization of somatic genomes; or REC-8 may act entirely in germ-line meiotic cells to reduce aberrations such as non-disjunction, thereby blunting a stress-resistance response mediated by innate immunity. Replicative lifespan was extended 20% in haploid S. cerevisiae (BY4741) by deletion of REC8, orthologous to nematode rec-8, implying that REC8 disruption of mitotic-cell survival is widespread, exemplifying antagonistic pleiotropy (opposing effects on lifespan vs. reproduction), and/or balancing selection wherein genomic disruption increases genetic variation under harsh conditions.

Genetic diversity and prevalence of CCR2-CCR5 gene polymorphisms in the Omani population

Polymorphisms in the regulatory region of the CCR5 gene affect protein expression and modulate the progress of HIV-1 disease. Because of this prominent role, variations in this gene have been under differential pressure and their frequencies vary among human populations. The CCR2V64I mutation is tightly linked to certain polymorphisms in the CCR5 gene. The current Omani population is genetically diverse, a reflection of their history as traders who ruled extensive regions around the Indian Ocean. In this study, we examined the CCR2-CCR5 haplotypes in Omanis and compared the patterns of genetic diversity with those of other populations. Blood samples were collected from 115 Omani adults and genomic DNA was screened to identify the polymorphic sites in the CCR5 gene and the CCR2V64I mutation. Four minor alleles were common: CCR5-2554T and CCR5-2086G showed frequencies of 49% and 46%, respectively, whereas CCR5-2459A and CCR5-2135C both had a frequency of 36%. These alleles showed moderate levels of heterozygosity, indicating that they were under balancing selection. However, the well-known allele CCR5Δ32 was relatively rare. Eleven haplotypes were identified, four of which were common: HHC (46%), HHE (20%), HHA (14%) and HHF*2 (12%).

Population structure in a comprehensive genomic data set on human microsatellite variation

Over the past two decades, microsatellite genotypes have provided the data for landmark studies of human population-genetic variation. However, the various microsatellite data sets have been prepared with different procedures and sets of markers, so that it has been difficult to synthesize available data for a comprehensive analysis. Here, we combine eight human population-genetic data sets at the 645 microsatellite loci they share in common, accounting for procedural differences in the production of the different data sets, to assemble a single data set containing 5795 individuals from 267 worldwide populations. We perform a systematic analysis of genetic relatedness, detecting 240 intra-population and 92 inter-population pairs of previously unidentified close relatives and proposing standardized subsets of unrelated individuals for use in future studies. We then augment the human data with a data set of 84 chimpanzees at the 246 loci they share in common with the human samples. Multidimensional scaling and neighbor-joining analyses of these data sets offer new insights into the structure of human populations and enable a comparison of genetic variation patterns in chimpanzees with those in humans. Our combined data sets are the largest of their kind reported to date and provide a resource for use in human population-genetic studies.

β-Globin polymorphisms in Amerindian populations from the Brazilian Amazon

OBJECTIVES

This investigation was performed to examine genetic variation at the β-globin locus in a sample of 30 healthy individuals from native populations in South America. The patterns of haplotypic variation were compared with those of previous studies including samples for various worldwide populations in an attempt to make inferences about the occupation of the Americas from a deeper temporal perspective than is typically available with haploid markers.

METHODS

A 2.67-kb segment containing the β-globin gene and its flanking regions was examined for genetic variation in a sample of 60 chromosomes from native populations in South America. The fragment was PCR-amplified and directly sequenced. To determine linkage relationships in compound heterozygotes, we used the amplification refractory mutation system. In addition, we assessed genetic variability and differentiation among populations, and we performed tests of selective neutrality. These analyses were performed for Brazilian Amerindian group and other worldwide populations previously studied.

RESULTS

Eleven polymorphic sites were found in the studied fragment, which distinguished eight different haplotypes, three recombinants haplotypes (present as single copies) and five previously described haplotypes, including some of those most highly differentiated. Genetic variation found in the pooled sample is substantial.

CONCLUSIONS

Although only five known haplotypes are observed in Amazonia, some of these are highly divergent, resulting in patterns of molecular polymorphism equal to or higher than those from other world regions.

A comprehensive study of polymorphic sites along the HLA-G gene: implication for gene regulation and evolution

HLA-G molecule plays an important role on immune response regulation and has been implicated on the inhibition of T and natural killer cell cytolytic function and inhibition of allogeneic T-cell proliferation. Due to its immune-modulator properties, the HLA-G gene expression has been associated with the outcome of allograft and of autoimmune, infectious, and malignant disorders. Several lines of evidence indicate that HLA-G polymorphisms at the 5'-upstream regulatory region (5' URR) and 3'-untranslated region (3' UTR) may influence the HLA-G expression levels. Because Brazilians represent one of the most heterogeneous populations in the world with the widest HLA-G coding region variability already detected among the studied populations, a high level of variability and haplotype diversity would be expected in Brazilians. On this basis, the 5' URR, coding, and 3' UTR variability were evaluated in a Brazilian series consisting of 100 healthy bone marrow donors, as well as the linkage disequilibrium pattern along the gene and the extended haplotypes encompassing several gene segment variations. The HLA-G locus seems to present six different HLA-G lineages showing functional variations mainly in nucleotides of the regulatory regions. Differences were observed at the 5' URR in positions that either coincide with or are close to transcription factor-binding sites and at the 3' UTR mainly in positions that have already been reported to influence HLA-G mRNA availability. We report several lines of evidence for balancing selection acting on the regulatory regions, which may indicate that these HLA-G lineages may be related to the differential HLA-G expression profiles.