Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe Indicates Ongoing Strong Selection over the Last 3,000 Years
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2020
Authors
Burger, JoachimLink, Vivian
Blocher, Jens
Schulz, Anna
Sell, Christian
Pochon, Zoe
Diekmann, Yoan

Žegarac, Aleksandra

Hofmanova, Zuzana

Winkelbach, Laura
Reyna-Blanco, Carlos S.
Bieker, Vanessa

Orschiedt, Jorg
Brinker, Ute
Scheu, Amelie
Leuenberger, Christoph
Bertino, Thomas S.
Bollongino, Ruth
Lidke, Gundula
Stefanović, Sofija

Jantzen, Detlef
Kaiser, Elke
Terberger, Thomas
Thomas, Mark G.

Veeramah, Krishna R.
Wegmann, Daniel
Article (Published version)

Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Lactase persistence (LP), the continued expression of lactase into adulthood, is the most strongly selected single gene trait over the last 10,000 years in multiple human populations. It has been posited that the primary allele causing LP among Eurasians, rs4988235-A [1], only rose to appreciable frequencies during the Bronze and Iron Ages [2, 3], long after humans started consuming milk from domesticated animals. This rapid rise has been attributed to an influx of people from the Pontic-Caspian steppe that began around 5,000 years ago [4, 5]. We investigate the spatiotemporal spread of LP through an analysis of 14 warriors from the Tollense Bronze Age battlefield in northern Germany (similar to 3,200 before present, BP), the oldest large-scale conflict site north of the Alps. Genetic data indicate that these individuals represent a single unstructured Central/Northern European population. We complemented these data with genotypes of 18 individuals from the Bronze Age site Mokrin in Se...rbia (similar to 4,100 to similar to 3,700 BP) and 37 individuals from Eastern Europe and the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region, predating both Bronze Age sites (similar to 5,980 to similar to 3,980BP). We infer low LP in all three regions, i.e., in northern Germany and South-eastern and Eastern Europe, suggesting that the surge of rs4988235 in Central and Northern Europe was unlikely caused by Steppe expansions. We estimate a selection coefficient of 0.06 and conclude that the selection was ongoing in various parts of Europe over the last 3,000 years.
Source:
Current Biology, 2020, 30, 21, 4307-+Publisher:
- Cell Press, Cambridge
Funding / projects:
- German Research Foundation (DFG) [BO4119/1-1]
- Swiss National Science FoundationSwiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) European Commission [31003A_173062]
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.033
ISSN: 0960-9822
PubMed: 32888485
WoS: 000585930500038
Scopus: 2-s2.0-85091233471
Institution/Community
Arheologija / ArchaeologyTY - JOUR AU - Burger, Joachim AU - Link, Vivian AU - Blocher, Jens AU - Schulz, Anna AU - Sell, Christian AU - Pochon, Zoe AU - Diekmann, Yoan AU - Žegarac, Aleksandra AU - Hofmanova, Zuzana AU - Winkelbach, Laura AU - Reyna-Blanco, Carlos S. AU - Bieker, Vanessa AU - Orschiedt, Jorg AU - Brinker, Ute AU - Scheu, Amelie AU - Leuenberger, Christoph AU - Bertino, Thomas S. AU - Bollongino, Ruth AU - Lidke, Gundula AU - Stefanović, Sofija AU - Jantzen, Detlef AU - Kaiser, Elke AU - Terberger, Thomas AU - Thomas, Mark G. AU - Veeramah, Krishna R. AU - Wegmann, Daniel PY - 2020 UR - http://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3150 AB - Lactase persistence (LP), the continued expression of lactase into adulthood, is the most strongly selected single gene trait over the last 10,000 years in multiple human populations. It has been posited that the primary allele causing LP among Eurasians, rs4988235-A [1], only rose to appreciable frequencies during the Bronze and Iron Ages [2, 3], long after humans started consuming milk from domesticated animals. This rapid rise has been attributed to an influx of people from the Pontic-Caspian steppe that began around 5,000 years ago [4, 5]. We investigate the spatiotemporal spread of LP through an analysis of 14 warriors from the Tollense Bronze Age battlefield in northern Germany (similar to 3,200 before present, BP), the oldest large-scale conflict site north of the Alps. Genetic data indicate that these individuals represent a single unstructured Central/Northern European population. We complemented these data with genotypes of 18 individuals from the Bronze Age site Mokrin in Serbia (similar to 4,100 to similar to 3,700 BP) and 37 individuals from Eastern Europe and the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region, predating both Bronze Age sites (similar to 5,980 to similar to 3,980BP). We infer low LP in all three regions, i.e., in northern Germany and South-eastern and Eastern Europe, suggesting that the surge of rs4988235 in Central and Northern Europe was unlikely caused by Steppe expansions. We estimate a selection coefficient of 0.06 and conclude that the selection was ongoing in various parts of Europe over the last 3,000 years. PB - Cell Press, Cambridge T2 - Current Biology T1 - Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe Indicates Ongoing Strong Selection over the Last 3,000 Years EP - + IS - 21 SP - 4307 VL - 30 DO - 10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.033 ER -
@article{ author = "Burger, Joachim and Link, Vivian and Blocher, Jens and Schulz, Anna and Sell, Christian and Pochon, Zoe and Diekmann, Yoan and Žegarac, Aleksandra and Hofmanova, Zuzana and Winkelbach, Laura and Reyna-Blanco, Carlos S. and Bieker, Vanessa and Orschiedt, Jorg and Brinker, Ute and Scheu, Amelie and Leuenberger, Christoph and Bertino, Thomas S. and Bollongino, Ruth and Lidke, Gundula and Stefanović, Sofija and Jantzen, Detlef and Kaiser, Elke and Terberger, Thomas and Thomas, Mark G. and Veeramah, Krishna R. and Wegmann, Daniel", year = "2020", abstract = "Lactase persistence (LP), the continued expression of lactase into adulthood, is the most strongly selected single gene trait over the last 10,000 years in multiple human populations. It has been posited that the primary allele causing LP among Eurasians, rs4988235-A [1], only rose to appreciable frequencies during the Bronze and Iron Ages [2, 3], long after humans started consuming milk from domesticated animals. This rapid rise has been attributed to an influx of people from the Pontic-Caspian steppe that began around 5,000 years ago [4, 5]. We investigate the spatiotemporal spread of LP through an analysis of 14 warriors from the Tollense Bronze Age battlefield in northern Germany (similar to 3,200 before present, BP), the oldest large-scale conflict site north of the Alps. Genetic data indicate that these individuals represent a single unstructured Central/Northern European population. We complemented these data with genotypes of 18 individuals from the Bronze Age site Mokrin in Serbia (similar to 4,100 to similar to 3,700 BP) and 37 individuals from Eastern Europe and the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region, predating both Bronze Age sites (similar to 5,980 to similar to 3,980BP). We infer low LP in all three regions, i.e., in northern Germany and South-eastern and Eastern Europe, suggesting that the surge of rs4988235 in Central and Northern Europe was unlikely caused by Steppe expansions. We estimate a selection coefficient of 0.06 and conclude that the selection was ongoing in various parts of Europe over the last 3,000 years.", publisher = "Cell Press, Cambridge", journal = "Current Biology", title = "Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe Indicates Ongoing Strong Selection over the Last 3,000 Years", pages = "+-4307", number = "21", volume = "30", doi = "10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.033" }
Burger, J., Link, V., Blocher, J., Schulz, A., Sell, C., Pochon, Z., Diekmann, Y., Žegarac, A., Hofmanova, Z., Winkelbach, L., Reyna-Blanco, C. S., Bieker, V., Orschiedt, J., Brinker, U., Scheu, A., Leuenberger, C., Bertino, T. S., Bollongino, R., Lidke, G., Stefanović, S., Jantzen, D., Kaiser, E., Terberger, T., Thomas, M. G., Veeramah, K. R.,& Wegmann, D.. (2020). Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe Indicates Ongoing Strong Selection over the Last 3,000 Years. in Current Biology Cell Press, Cambridge., 30(21), 4307-+. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.033
Burger J, Link V, Blocher J, Schulz A, Sell C, Pochon Z, Diekmann Y, Žegarac A, Hofmanova Z, Winkelbach L, Reyna-Blanco CS, Bieker V, Orschiedt J, Brinker U, Scheu A, Leuenberger C, Bertino TS, Bollongino R, Lidke G, Stefanović S, Jantzen D, Kaiser E, Terberger T, Thomas MG, Veeramah KR, Wegmann D. Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe Indicates Ongoing Strong Selection over the Last 3,000 Years. in Current Biology. 2020;30(21):4307-+. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.033 .
Burger, Joachim, Link, Vivian, Blocher, Jens, Schulz, Anna, Sell, Christian, Pochon, Zoe, Diekmann, Yoan, Žegarac, Aleksandra, Hofmanova, Zuzana, Winkelbach, Laura, Reyna-Blanco, Carlos S., Bieker, Vanessa, Orschiedt, Jorg, Brinker, Ute, Scheu, Amelie, Leuenberger, Christoph, Bertino, Thomas S., Bollongino, Ruth, Lidke, Gundula, Stefanović, Sofija, Jantzen, Detlef, Kaiser, Elke, Terberger, Thomas, Thomas, Mark G., Veeramah, Krishna R., Wegmann, Daniel, "Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe Indicates Ongoing Strong Selection over the Last 3,000 Years" in Current Biology, 30, no. 21 (2020):4307-+, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.033 . .