Project description:Western Eurasia witnessed several large-scale human migrations during the Holocene1-5. Here, to investigate the cross-continental effects of these migrations, we shotgun-sequenced 317 genomes-mainly from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods-from across northern and western Eurasia. These were imputed alongside published data to obtain diploid genotypes from more than 1,600 ancient humans. Our analyses revealed a 'great divide' genomic boundary extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were highly genetically differentiated east and west of this zone, and the effect of the neolithization was equally disparate. Large-scale ancestry shifts occurred in the west as farming was introduced, including near-total replacement of hunter-gatherers in many areas, whereas no substantial ancestry shifts happened east of the zone during the same period. Similarly, relatedness decreased in the west from the Neolithic transition onwards, whereas, east of the Urals, relatedness remained high until around 4,000 BP, consistent with the persistence of localized groups of hunter-gatherers. The boundary dissolved when Yamnaya-related ancestry spread across western Eurasia around 5,000 BP, resulting in a second major turnover that reached most parts of Europe within a 1,000-year span. The genetic origin and fate of the Yamnaya have remained elusive, but we show that hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region contributed ancestry to them. Yamnaya groups later admixed with individuals associated with the Globular Amphora culture before expanding into Europe. Similar turnovers occurred in western Siberia, where we report new genomic data from a 'Neolithic steppe' cline spanning the Siberian forest steppe to Lake Baikal. These prehistoric migrations had profound and lasting effects on the genetic diversity of Eurasian populations.
Project description:As a historical nomadic group in Central Asia, Kazaks have mainly inhabited the steppe zone from the Altay Mountains in the East to the Caspian Sea in the West. Fine scale characterization of the genetic profile and population structure of Kazaks would be invaluable for understanding their population history and modeling prehistoric human expansions across the Eurasian steppes. With this mind, we characterized the maternal lineages of 200 Kazaks from Jetisuu at mitochondrial genome level. Our results reveal that Jetisuu Kazaks have unique mtDNA haplotypes including those belonging to the basal branches of both West Eurasian (R0, H, HV) and East Eurasian (A, B, C, D) lineages. The great diversity observed in their maternal lineages may reflect pivotal geographic location of Kazaks in Eurasia and implies a complex population history. Comparative analyses of mitochondrial genomes of human populations in Central Eurasia reveal a common maternal genetic ancestry for Turko-Mongolian speakers and their expansion being responsible for the presence of East Eurasian maternal lineages in Central Eurasia. In addition, our analyses indicate maternal genetic affinity between the Sherpas from the Tibetan Plateau with the Turko-Mongolian speakers.
Project description:The project aimed to characterize the collagen type I (COL1) sequences from various modern, Holocene and Pleistocene bone, antler and skin samples for phylogenetic purposes. All extractions were performed at BioArCh, University of York (UK) or the Department of Human Evolution, MPI-EVA (Germany). Analyses took place on Q-Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap MS.
Project description:We recently reported elimination of renal crystals and migration of macrophages (Mφ) around crystals in hyperoxaluric mice, suggesting Mφs might eliminate crystals. Mφs are of 2 phenotypes: inflammatory (M1) and anti-inflammatory (M2). Because M2Mφs are considered to be involved in tissue repair and regeneration, we focused attention on their suppressive role in renal crystal formation. Hence, we investigated the gene array profiling of renal macrophages in stone model mice and CSF-1-deficient stone model mice.
Project description:We genotyped 322 new samples from 38 Eurasian populations and combined it with previously published data to characterize the population structure of Turkic-speaking populations in the context of their geographic neighbors across Eurasia
Project description:Kidney stone disease causes significant morbidity and increases health care utilization. In this dataset, we applied a single-nucleus assay to renal papila samples in order to charachterize the cellular and molecular niches in patients with calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone disease and healthy subjects. In addition to identifying cell types important in papillary physiology, we characterize collecting duct cell subtypes and an undifferentiated epithelial cell type that was more prevalent in stone patients. Despite the focal nature of mineral deposition in nephrolithiasis, we uncover a global injury signature characterized by immune activation, oxidative stress and extracellular matrix remodeling. We also identify the association of MMP7 and MMP9 expression with stone disease and mineral deposition, respectively. MMP7 and MMP9 are significantly increased in the urine of patients with CaOx stone disease, and their levels correlate with disease activity. Our results define the spatial molecular landscape and specific pathways contributing to stone-mediated injury in the human papilla and identify associated urinary biomarkers.
Project description:Comparative systematics and phylogeography of Quercus section Cerris in West Eurasia: inferences from plastid and nuclear DNA variation