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Sahelian pastoralism from the perspective of variants associated with lactase persistence
- Source :
- American Journal of Physical Anthropology, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Wiley, 2020, pp.e24116. ⟨10.1002/ajpa.24116⟩, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2020, pp.e24116. ⟨10.1002/ajpa.24116⟩
- Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- OBJECTIVES Archeological evidence shows that first nomadic pastoralists came to the African Sahel from northeastern Sahara, where milking is reported by ~7.5 ka. A second wave of pastoralists arrived with the expansion of Arabic tribes in 7th-14th century CE. All Sahelian pastoralists depend on milk production but genetic diversity underlying their lactase persistence (LP) is poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated SNP variants associated with LP in 1,241 individuals from 29 mostly pastoralist populations in the Sahel. Then, we analyzed six SNPs in the neighboring fragment (419 kb) in the Fulani and Tuareg with the -13910*T mutation, reconstructed haplotypes, and calculated expansion age and growth rate of this variant. RESULTS Our results reveal a geographic localization of two different LP variants in the Sahel: -13910*T west of Lake Chad (Fulani and Tuareg pastoralists) and -13915*G east of there (mostly Arabic-speaking pastoralists). We show that -13910*T has a more diversified haplotype background among the Fulani than among the Tuareg and that the age estimate for expansion of this variant among the Fulani (~8.5 ka) corresponds to introduction of cattle to the area. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study showing that the "Eurasian" LP allele -13910*T is widespread both in northern Europe and in the Sahel; however, it is limited to pastoralists in the Sahel. Since the Fulani haplotype with -13910*T is shared with contemporary Eurasians, its origin could be in a region encompassing the Near East and northeastern Africa in a population ancestral to both Saharan pastoralists and European farmers.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
lactase persistence
subsistence
Arabic
Population
Pastoralism
[SHS.ANTHRO-BIO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Biological anthropology
Black People
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
White People
Anthropology, Physical
Africa, Northern
Ethnicity
Animals
Humans
0601 history and archaeology
education
Socioeconomics
Lactase
2. Zero hunger
Transients and Migrants
education.field_of_study
Genetic diversity
060101 anthropology
Middle East
Haplotype
Subsistence agriculture
06 humanities and the arts
language.human_language
Arabs
Diet
Lactase persistence
Geography
Milk
Haplotypes
Anthropology
language
Anatomy
African Sahel
pastoralism
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00029483 and 10968644
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- American Journal of Physical Anthropology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....8287b099c6bcb8196b7fccde7a18cd8e
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24116