Adaptive Evolution of the FADS Gene Cluster within Africa

Rasika A. Mathias; Wenqing Fu; Joshua M. Akey; Hannah C. Ainsworth; Dara G. Torgerson; Ingo Ruczinski; Susan Sergeant; Kathleen C. Barnes; Floyd H. Chilton

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044926

Loading metrics

Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Adaptive Evolution of the FADS Gene Cluster within Africa

Rasika A. Mathias ,

* E-mail: rmathias@jhmi.edu

Affiliations Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
⨯
Wenqing Fu,

Affiliation Department of Genome Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
⨯
Joshua M. Akey,

Affiliation Department of Genome Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
⨯
Hannah C. Ainsworth,

Affiliations Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America, Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids and Inflammatory Disease Prevention, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
⨯
Dara G. Torgerson,

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
⨯
Ingo Ruczinski,

Affiliation Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
⨯
Susan Sergeant,

Affiliations Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America, Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids and Inflammatory Disease Prevention, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
⨯
Kathleen C. Barnes,

Affiliation Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
⨯
Floyd H. Chilton

Affiliations Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids and Inflammatory Disease Prevention, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America, Department of Physiology/Pharmacology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
⨯

Adaptive Evolution of the FADS Gene Cluster within Africa

Rasika A. Mathias,
Wenqing Fu,
Joshua M. Akey,
Hannah C. Ainsworth,
Dara G. Torgerson,
Ingo Ruczinski,
Susan Sergeant,
Kathleen C. Barnes,
Floyd H. Chilton

Published: September 19, 2012
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044926

Reader Comments

Post a new comment on this article

Africans were still coastal until c 85 kya

Posted by marc_verhaegen on 01 Nov 2022 at 11:22 GMT

Thanks a lot for this. If African populations were still tethered to marine sources for LC-PUFAs until c 85 kya, as you say, this confirms the coastal dispersal theory of human evolution. Biochemical, anatomical, physiological & evolutionary evidence shows that the so-called savanna hypothesis of human evolution is completely wrong. Your article confirms that Pleistocene Homo initially simply followed coasts, google e.g. "coastal dispersal Pleistocene Homo".

No competing interests declared.

Subject Areas
?

For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click here.
We want your feedback. Do these Subject Areas make sense for this article? Click the target next to the incorrect Subject Area and let us know. Thanks for your help!

Haplotypes
Is the Subject Area "Haplotypes" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Africa
Is the Subject Area "Africa" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Population genetics
Is the Subject Area "Population genetics" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Human genomics
Is the Subject Area "Human genomics" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Genomics
Is the Subject Area "Genomics" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Species diversity
Is the Subject Area "Species diversity" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Europe
Is the Subject Area "Europe" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Human evolution
Is the Subject Area "Human evolution" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.

Adaptive Evolution of the FADS Gene Cluster within Africa

Adaptive Evolution of the FADS Gene Cluster within Africa

Reader Comments

Post Your Discussion Comment

Why should this posting be reviewed?

Thank You!

Africans were still coastal until c 85 kya

Posted by marc_verhaegen on 01 Nov 2022 at 11:22 GMT