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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Genomes of 233 primate species sequenced    
    New insights into the genetic diversity and evolution of our closest   
   relatives and the genetic causes of human diseases    
      
     Date:   
         June 2, 2023   
     Source:   
         Deutsches Primatenzentrum (DPZ)/German Primate Center   
     Summary:   
         Researchers from 24 countries have analyzed the genomes of 809   
         individuals from 233 primate species, generating the most complete   
         catalog of genomic information about our closest relatives to   
         date. The project provides new insights into the evolution of   
         primates, including humans, and their diversity. In baboons, for   
         example, hybridization and gene flow between different species   
         occurred in the past and is still ongoing in several regions of   
         their range. This makes baboons a good model for the evolution   
         of early human lineages within and outside Africa. In addition,   
         using a specially designed AI algorithm, the genomic data enable   
         new insights into the genetic causes of human diseases.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Researchers from 24 countries have analyzed the genomes of 809 individuals   
   from 233 primate species, generating the most complete catalog of   
   genomic information about our closest relatives to date. The project,   
   which consists of a series of studies in which researchers from the   
   German Primate Center - - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ)   
   were also involved, provides new insights into the evolution of primates,   
   including humans, and their diversity.   
      
   In baboons, for example, hybridization and gene flow between different   
   species occurred in the past and is still ongoing in several regions of   
   their range.   
      
   This makes baboons a good model for the evolution of early human lineages   
   within and outside Africa. In addition, using a specially designed AI   
   algorithm, the genomic data enable new insights into the genetic causes   
   of human diseases (Science, Special Issue).   
      
   Primates show great genetic diversity that varies between species   
   and geographic regions. "Studying this diversity is crucial also for   
   understanding human evolution, the causes of human diseases, and for   
   preserving our closest relatives," says Christian Roos, a scientist in   
   the Primate Genetics Laboratory at the German Primate Center and one of   
   the authors. Led by researchers from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain,   
   Baylor College of Medicine, USA, and Illumina Inc, USA, the genomes of   
   809 individuals from 233 primate species have been sequenced. This covers   
   nearly half of the extant primate species and increases the number of   
   available primate genomes fourfold.   
      
   New insights into primate evolution and the uniqueness of humans The   
   comparative analyses provide fundamental information on the genetic   
   diversity and evolutionary history of primates and important insights   
   into what distinguishes humans from other primates. The genomic data have   
   halved the number of genomic variants thought to occur exclusively in   
   humans. "This makes it easier to look for mutations that we do not share   
   with other primates and that could therefore be the basis for the traits   
   that make us human," says Dietmar Zinner, a scientist in the Cognitive   
   Ethology Laboratory at the German Primate Center and also one of the   
   authors. One of the studies looks more closely at baboon evolution   
   and finds that there have been several, previously unknown episodes   
   of hybridization and gene flow between baboon species. "We found that   
   baboons from western Tanzania are the first nonhuman primates to have   
   received input from three genetic lineages," said Liye Zhang, a doctoral   
   student at the German Primate Center and one of the lead authors of the   
   baboon study. "These results suggest that the genetic structure of the   
   baboon population and its history of genetic exchange between species is   
   more complex than previously thought and show that baboons make a good   
   model for similar processes in the evolution of early human lineages in   
   and outside Africa," says Dietmar Zinner.   
      
   Species conservation with the help of genome data High genetic diversity   
   enables species to better adapt to changing environmental conditions   
   and pathogens. Especially in small populations, there is a risk of   
   inbreeding and thus a reduction in genetic diversity. Already, 63 percent   
   of all primate species are threatened with extinction, and the analysis   
   of genetic diversity provides information which species most urgently   
   need to be protected, at least from a genetic point of view. "We found   
   particularly low genetic diversity in the golden snub-nosed monkey of   
   China and the aye-aye in Madagascar," says Christian Roos.   
      
   Rare mutations can increase disease risk One of the limitations in human   
   and clinical genetics is that it is currently not possible to identify   
   among hundreds of thousands of mutations those that cause disease. To   
   date, the genetic causes of many common diseases, such as diabetes and   
   heart disease, are unknown, due either to a lack of genetic information or   
   to the large number of genetic and other factors involved. By comparing   
   the primate genomes, 4.3 million mutations have now been identified   
   that may alter protein function and thus lead to disease in humans. Six   
   percent of the 4.3 million mutations identified are, however, common in   
   primates and are therefore considered to potentially have little impact   
   on human disease because they are tolerated in these animals. Thanks to   
   the PrimateAI-3D deep- learning algorithm developed by Illumina Inc,   
   disease-causing mutations can now be better identified. "It's a kind   
   of ChatGPT for genetics that uses genome sequences instead of human   
   language," explains Kyle Farh, vice director of the AI group at Illumina   
   Inc, the global leader in DNA sequencing.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Evolutionary_Biology # New_Species # Nature # Genetics   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Exotic_Species # Environmental_Awareness # Biodiversity   
                   # Environmental_Policy   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Gene o Primate o Gorilla o Biodiversity o   
             Human_biology o Allele_frequency o Evolution o   
             The_evolution_of_human_intelligence   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   Deutsches_Primatenzentrum_(DPZ)/German_Primate_Center.   
      
   Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Lukas F. K. Kuderna, Hong Gao, Mareike C. Janiak, Martin Kuhlwilm,   
      Joseph   
         D. Orkin, Thomas Bataillon, Shivakumara Manu, Alejandro   
         Valenzuela, Juraj Bergman, Marjolaine Rousselle, Felipe Ennes   
         Silva, Lidia Agueda, Julie Blanc, Marta Gut, Dorien de Vries,   
         Ian Goodhead, R. Alan Harris, Muthuswamy Raveendran, Axel Jensen,   
         Idrissa S. Chuma, Julie E. Horvath, Christina Hvilsom, David   
         Juan, Peter Frandsen, Joshua G. Schraiber, Fabiano R. de Melo,   
         Fabri'cio Bertuol, Hazel Byrne, Iracilda Sampaio, Izeni Farias,   
         Joa~o Valsecchi, Malu Messias, Maria N. F. da Silva, Mihir Trivedi,   
         Rogerio Rossi, Tomas Hrbek, Nicole Andriaholinirina, Cle'ment J.   
      
         Rabarivola, Alphonse Zaramody, Clifford J. Jolly, Jane   
         Phillips-Conroy, Gregory Wilkerson, Christian Abee, Joe H. Simmons,   
         Eduardo Fernandez- Duque, Sree Kanthaswamy, Fekadu Shiferaw,   
         Dongdong Wu, Long Zhou, Yong Shao, Guojie Zhang, Julius D. Keyyu,   
         Sascha Knauf, Minh D. Le, Esther Lizano, Stefan Merker, Arcadi   
         Navarro, Tilo Nadler, Chiea Chuen Khor, Jessica Lee, Patrick Tan,   
         Weng Khong Lim, Andrew C. Kitchener, Dietmar Zinner, Ivo Gut,   
         Amanda D. Melin, Katerina Guschanski, Mikkel Heide Schierup, Robin   
         M. D. Beck, Govindhaswamy Umapathy, Christian Roos, Jean P. Boubli,   
         Jeffrey Rogers, Kyle Kai-How Farh, Tomas Marques Bonet. A global   
         catalog of whole-genome diversity from 233 primate species.   
      
         Science, 2023; 380 (6648): 906 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn7829   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230602115048.htm   
      
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