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11,000 years of craniofacial and mandibular variation in Lower Nubia.

ABSTRACT: The transition to agriculture was a key event in human history. The extent to which this transition is associated with biological changes in different world regions remains debated. Cultural and osteological records in Lower Nubia throughout the Holocene have been interpreted as a result of in situ differentiation or alternatively as migratory events and possible admixture with surrounding populations. Here we investigated the patterns of craniofacial and mandibular variation from Mesolithic hunting-gathering to late farming, a period spanning 11,000 years. We analyzed 102 adult specimens spanning five cultural horizons: Mesolithic, A-group, C-group, Pharaonic and Meroitic, by means of 3D geometric morphometric methods, in order to assess shape variation and diachronic patterns at the transition to farming and in subsequent periods. Our results highlight a strong morphometric distinction between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and farmers as well as differences between transitional and intensive farmers in mandibular variation which is consistent with differential impact of selective pressures on different regions of the skull. This study corroborates a major biological change during the transition from hunting to farming, supporting the masticatory-functional hypothesis for the mandible and suggesting population continuity among farming populations throughout the Holocene based on the overall shape of the cranium.

SUBMITTER: Galland M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4977491 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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11,000 years of craniofacial and mandibular variation in Lower Nubia.

Galland Manon M Van Gerven Denis P DP Von Cramon-Taubadel Noreen N Pinhasi Ron R

Scientific reports 20160809

The transition to agriculture was a key event in human history. The extent to which this transition is associated with biological changes in different world regions remains debated. Cultural and osteological records in Lower Nubia throughout the Holocene have been interpreted as a result of in situ differentiation or alternatively as migratory events and possible admixture with surrounding populations. Here we investigated the patterns of craniofacial and mandibular variation from Mesolithic hun ...[more]

PMID: 27503560

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Project description:IntroductionSeveral candidate loci have been suggested as influencing mandibular prognathism (1p22.1, 1p22.2, 1p36, 3q26.2, 5p13-p12, 6q25, 11q22.2-q22.3, 12q23, 12q13.13, and 19p13.2). The goal of this study was to replicate these results in a well-characterized homogeneous sample set.MethodsThirty-three single nucleotide polymorphisms spanning all candidate regions were studied in 44 prognathic and 35 Class I subjects from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Dental Registry and DNA Repository. The 44 subjects with mandibular prognathism had an average age of 18.4 years; 31 were female and 13 male; and 24 were white, 15 African American, 2 Hispanic, and 3 Asian. The 36 Class I subjects had an average age of 17.6 years; 27 were female and 9 male; and 27 were white, 6 African American, 1 Hispanic, and 2 Asian. Skeletal mandibular prognathism diagnosis included cephalometric values indicative of Class III such as an ANB smaller than 2°, a negative Wits appraisal, and a positive A-B plane. Additional mandibular prognathism criteria included negative overjet and visually prognathic (concave) profile as determined by the subject's clinical evaluation. Orthognathic subjects without jaw deformations were used as the comparison group. The mandibular prognathic and orthognathic subjects were matched by race, sex, and age. Genetic markers were tested by polymerase chain reaction with TaqMan chemistry. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to determine overrepresentation of marker allele with an alpha of 0.05.ResultsAn association was unveiled between a marker in MYO1H (rs10850110) and the mandibular prognathism phenotype (P = 0.03). MYO1H is a Class I myosin that is in a different protein group than the myosin isoforms of muscle sarcomeres, which are the basis of skeletal muscle fiber typing. Class I myosins are necessary for cell motility, phagocytosis, and vesicle transport.ConclusionsMore strict clinical definitions might increase homogeneity and aid the studies of genetic susceptibility to malocclusions. We provide evidence that MYO1H can contribute to mandibular prognathism.

Project description:IntroductionThe primary objective of this retrospective study was to document the normal variation of clinical mobility of the mandibular symphysis in dogs, and evaluate possible associations with breed, bodyweight, age, sex, and skull morphology. Secondarily, the radiographic appearance of the mandibular symphysis and possible associations with the analyzed data were also evaluated.MethodsMedical records of dogs that underwent anesthetic procedures for maxillofacial, oral and dental evaluation from April 2015 to December 2021 were included.Results567 dogs of 95 different breeds were included, with a total of 695 evaluations. Body weight ranged from 0.8 kg to 79 kg (median 14.4 kg) and age from 3 months to 16 years and 4 months (median 6 years and 9 months). Clinical mobility was evaluated under general anesthesia using a 0 to 3 scale, in lateromedial (LM) and dorsoventral (DV) directions. The symphysis was radiographically classified as being fused or open. The open symphyses were further radiographically divided in having parallel or divergent margins. At the time of the first evaluation DV mobility was 0 in 551 cases (97.2%) and 1 in 16 cases (2.8%). LM mobility was 0 in 401 cases (70.7%), 1 in 148 cases (26.1%) and 2 in 18 cases (3.2%). There was not a significant change in mobility over time for cases examined more than once (P= 0.76). All cases had an intraoral radiographic examination. 83.8% of the radiographs were included in the statistical analysis. Two symphyses (0.4%) were classified as fused and 473 (99.6%) as open, 355 (74.7%) having divergent margins and 118 (24.8%) parallel margins. Logistic regression models exploring factors that affected DV and LM mobility were statistically significant (P < 0.0001; P < 0.0001), with an increase in LM mobility predicting an increase in DV mobility, and vice versa. An increase in age and in bodyweight was associated with a decrease in mobility. There was no statistical difference in clinical mobility across specific breeds or sexes. Increased probability of a divergent symphysis and increased DV mobility was found to be associated with a brachycephalic conformation. The increase in LM mobility was comparatively higher in small brachycephalic breeds compared with larger brachycephalic breed.DiscussionThe majority of the cases showed little to no mobility of the mandibular symphysis and radiographically bony fusion can be rarely seen.

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11,000 years of craniofacial and mandibular variation in Lower Nubia.

Publications

11,000 years of craniofacial and mandibular variation in Lower Nubia.

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