Genetic and genomic insights of the Comcáac people

The Comcáac (also known as Seri) are an indigenous community from the central coast of the Sonoran Desert in Mexico. Genetic studies conducted on this population since the late 1990s have revealed marked genetic differentiation resulting from pronounced genetic drift caused by a historical bottleneck, which is consistent with anthropological and linguistic records. Research has examined allele frequencies and genetic variants associated with cirrhosis risk, pathogen adaptation, forensic markers, vitamin and sugar metabolism, body mass index, immune responses, cytochrome genes, genetic distances with other groups, and migration patterns. While early investigations relied on classical genetic approaches, more recent studies have employed omics technologies, including whole-genome sequencing. Analyses of the Comcáac genome provide valuable insights into the phenotypic traits and medical predispositions of this community.