Open AccessSherpas share genetic variations with Tibetans for high‐altitude adaptation
Author(s) -
Bhandari Sushil,
Zhang Xiaoming,
Cui Chaoying,
Liu Lan,
Bai Caijuan,
Peng Yi,
Zhang Hui,
Xiang Kun,
Shi Hong,
Liu Shiming,
Wu Tianyi,
Qi Xuebin,
Su Bing
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
molecular genetics and genomic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 29
ISSN - 2324-9269
DOI - 10.1002/mgg3.264
Subject(s) - biology , allele , genetics , population , snp , altitude (triangle) , adaptation (eye) , gene , evolutionary biology , single nucleotide polymorphism , genotype , demography , neuroscience , sociology , geometry , mathematics
Background Sherpas, a highlander population living in Khumbu region of Nepal, are well known for their superior climbing ability in Himalayas. However, the genetic basis of their adaptation to high‐altitude environments remains elusive. Methods We collected DNA samples of 582 Sherpas from Nepal and Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, and we measured their hemoglobin levels and degrees of blood oxygen saturation. We genotyped 29 EPAS 1 SNP s, two EGLN 1 SNP s and the TED polymorphism (3.4 kb deletion) in Sherpas. We also performed genetic association analysis among these sequence variants with phenotypic data. Results We found similar allele frequencies on the tested 32 variants of these genes in Sherpas and Tibetans. Sherpa individuals carrying the derived alleles of EPAS 1 (rs113305133, rs116611511 and rs12467821), EGLN 1 (rs186996510 and rs12097901) and TED have lower hemoglobin levels when compared with those wild‐type allele carriers. Most of the EPAS 1 variants showing significant association with hemoglobin levels in Tibetans were replicated in Sherpas. Conclusion The shared sequence variants and hemoglobin trait between Sherpas and Tibetans indicate a shared genetic basis for high‐altitude adaptation, consistent with the proposal that Sherpas are in fact a recently derived population from Tibetans and they inherited adaptive variants for high‐altitude adaptation from their Tibetan ancestors.