Comment on "Ongoing adaptive evolution of ASPM, a brain size determinant in Homo sapiens"

Fuli Yu; R Sean Hill; Stephen F Schaffner; Pardis C Sabeti; Eric T Wang; Andre A Mignault; Russell J Ferland; Robert K Moyzis; Christopher A Walsh; David Reich

doi:10.1126/science.316.5823.370a

Comment on "Ongoing adaptive evolution of ASPM, a brain size determinant in Homo sapiens"

Science. 2007 Apr 20;316(5823):370. doi: 10.1126/science.316.5823.370a.

Authors

Fuli Yu¹, R Sean Hill, Stephen F Schaffner, Pardis C Sabeti, Eric T Wang, Andre A Mignault, Russell J Ferland, Robert K Moyzis, Christopher A Walsh, David Reich

Affiliation

¹ Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, New Research Building, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

PMID: 17446375
DOI: 10.1126/science.316.5823.370a

Abstract

Mekel-Bobrov et al. (Reports, 9 September 2005, p. 1720) suggested that ASPM, a gene associated with microcephaly, underwent natural selection within the last 500 to 14,100 years. Their analyses based on comparison with computer simulations indicated that ASPM had an unusual pattern of variation. However, when we compare ASPM empirically to a large number of other loci, its variation is not unusual and does not support selection.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Comment

MeSH terms

Adaptation, Biological
Asian People / genetics
Biological Evolution
Black People / genetics
Brain / anatomy & histology
Gene Frequency
Haplotypes
Humans
Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics*
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
Recombination, Genetic
Selection, Genetic*
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Time
White People / genetics

Substances

ASPM protein, human
Nerve Tissue Proteins