National Yang-Ming University on Monday said it has identified five key genes that provide critical insights into the evolutionary history and adaptation of the Han population in Taiwan as well as its susceptibility to diseases.
The five genes are CTNNA2 (catenin alpha 2) and LRP1B (LDL receptor related protein 1B) in chromosome 2; CSNK1G3 (casein kinase 1 gamma 3) in chromosome 5; ASTN2 (astrotactin 2) in chromosome 9; and NEO1 (neogenin 1) in chromosome 15.
“All five candidate genes identified in our study appear to have [multiple] effects and connections to various disease susceptibilities,” the university said in a news release.
Diseases or complex traits associated with LRP1B variants, for example, include childhood obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and various types of cancer, the university said.
Disease susceptibility differs greatly between populations and appears to be correlated with human population history, it said.
“Understanding the genetic ancestry, population substructure and migration history of people who live in the same geographic region may allow us to better characterize the admixed ancestry for each individual genome, providing critical information to facilitate genome-wide association studies for mapping disease-causing variants,” the university said.
Ko Wen-ya (可文亞), a professor at the university’s Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, said the genes are linked to metabolic functions and are also related to certain diseases.
The study discusses the possible role of each gene in adaptive evolution and connections with disease susceptibility, Ko said.
“Different ethnic groups have genes inherited from different ancestors,” he said, adding that understanding Taiwan’s unique genetic origin and evolutionary adaptation can better help the nation develop precision medicine.
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