@article {Ye111229, author = {Kaixiong Ye and Feng Gao and David Wang and Ofer Bar-Yosef and Alon Keinan}, title = {Adaptation of the FADS gene family in Europe: Variation across time, geography and subsistence}, elocation-id = {111229}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1101/111229}, publisher = {Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory}, abstract = {The FADS gene family encodes rate-limiting enzymes for the biosynthesis of omega-6 and omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), which is essential for individuals subsisting on LCPUFAs-poor diets (e.g. plant-based). Positive selection on FADS genes has been reported in multiple populations, but its presence and pattern in Europeans remain elusive. Here, with analyses of ancient and modern DNA, we demonstrated positive selection acted on variants centered on FADS1 and FADS2 both before and after the advent of farming in Europe, but adaptive alleles in these two periods are opposite. Selection signals in recent history also vary geographically, with the strongest in Southern Europe. We showed that adaptive alleles in recent farmers are associated with expression of FADS genes, enhanced LCPUFAs biosynthesis and reduced risk of inflammatory bowel diseases. Thus, the adaptation of FADS genes in Europe varies across time and geography, probably due to varying diet and subsistence.}, URL = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/02/23/111229}, eprint = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/02/23/111229.full.pdf}, journal = {bioRxiv} }