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La microcefalina, un gen que regula el tamaño del cerebro, continúa evolucionando de forma adaptativa en los humanos
Patrick D Evans1, Sandra L Gilbert, Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 10, 2005
Resumen
Un gen del cerebro humano, Microcephalin (MCPH1), evolucionó rápidamente debido a la selección positiva. Una variante específica se extendió rápidamente, lo que sugiere la evolución y plasticidad en curso del cerebro humano.
Área de la Ciencia:
- Biología evolutiva Biología evolutiva.
- Genética humana Genética humana es la genética humana.
- La neurociencia es la neurociencia.
Sus antecedentes:
- El gen Microcefalina (MCPH1) es crucial para regular el tamaño del cerebro humano.
- El MCPH1 ha sufrido una selección positiva significativa a lo largo de la evolución humana.
Objetivo del estudio:
- Para investigar la historia evolutiva de una variante genética específica de Microcefalina (MCPH1) en los humanos modernos.
- Para determinar si el aumento de frecuencia de esta variante es consistente con la deriva neutral o la selección positiva.
Principales métodos:
- Análisis de datos genéticos para rastrear la frecuencia de la variante de microcefalina (MCPH1) en el tiempo.
- Modelado estadístico para evaluar la probabilidad de los cambios de frecuencia observados bajo presiones neutras y selectivas.
Principales resultados:
- Una variante específica de Microcefalina (MCPH1), originada hace aproximadamente 37.000 años, exhibió un aumento de frecuencia demasiado rápido para la deriva neutral.
- La rápida propagación sugiere fuertemente que esta variante fue impulsada por la selección natural positiva.
Conclusiones:
- El gen de la microcefalina (MCPH1) ha seguido evolucionando de forma adaptativa en los humanos anatómicamente modernos.
- Esto indica una plasticidad evolutiva en curso en el cerebro humano.
- MCPH1 es un candidato clave para estudiar la base genética de las variaciones relacionadas con el cerebro humano.
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