Comment on "Ongoing adaptive evolution of ASPM, a brain size determinant in Homo sapiens".
Mekel-Bobrov et al. (Reports, 9 September 2005, p. 1720) suggested that ASPM, a gene associated with microcephaly, underwent natural selection within the last 500 to 14,100 years. Their analyses based on comparison with computer simulations indicated that ASPM had an unusual pattern of variation. However, when we compare ASPM empirically to a large number of other loci, its variation is not unusual and does not support selection.
Yu
Fuli
F
Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, New Research Building, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Hill
R Sean
RS
Schaffner
Stephen F
SF
Sabeti
Pardis C
PC
Wang
Eric T
ET
Mignault
Andre A
AA
Ferland
Russell J
RJ
Moyzis
Robert K
RK
Walsh
Christopher A
CA
Reich
David
D
D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D005075:Biological Evolution; D044383:Black People / Q000235:genetics; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013995:Time; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
C467202:ASPM protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins