European genes altered by Black Death

Mother Nature Network ^ | February 4, 2014 | Stephanie Pappas

[2ndDivisionVet]

The Black Death of the 14th century may be written into the DNA of survivors' descendants, new research finds.

The study reveals that Roma people (sometimes known as gypsies, although this is considered a derogatory term) and white Europeans share alterations to their genetic code that occurred after the Roma settled in Europe from northwest India 1,000 years ago. The plague of the 1300s, which killed at least 75 million people, is a likely candidate for forcing this evolutionary change.

"We show that there are some immune receptors that are clearly influenced by evolution in Europe and not in northwest India," said study leader Mihai Netea, a researcher in experimental internal medicine at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center in the Netherlands.

"India did not have the medieval plague, as Europe had," Netea told Live Science. "We have also demonstrated that these receptors are recognizing Yersinia pestis, which is the plague bacterium." [In Photos: 14th-Century Black Death Graves Discovered]

Searching for similarities

Netea and his colleagues made their discovery by scanning almost 200,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or short segments of DNA that vary among people. They tested people from Romania, as well as Roma people. For social and economic reasons, Netea said, the Roma have lived among Europeans since about A.D. 1000, without much interbreeding between the two groups. That gives researchers a rare opportunity to study two genetically distinct populations in one geographical region.

The researchers looked for genetic variations that appeared in both Europeans and Roma people. Then, they took that list and crossed off the genetic variations that also appeared in a population of northwest Indians, to rule out evolutionary change that originated outside Europe.

The result was a list of about 20 genes that show evidence of convergent evolution between Europeans and Roma — meaning the two groups started out different but evolved to look more similar because of pressures in their environment.

Black Death genetics

The genes on the list have a variety of functions. One gene, SLC45A2, is known to be involved in skin pigmentation. Others are linked to immune-system function.

One immune-related cluster included three altered genes, making it the most obvious candidate for closer perusal. The cluster, called TLR2, was already known to be involved in building the receptors on the surface of leukocytes, immune cells that recognize and destroy foreign invaders.

Because plague was such a widespread and devastating event in Europe, Netea and his colleagues reasoned that the Black Death outbreak, which occurred after the Roma arrived, might have put pressure on this gene cluster to evolve. To test the idea, they looked at how cells engineered to express TLR2 would hold up against Y. pestis and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, an ancestor of Y. pestis. They found that TLR2 caused a heightened immune response when exposed to both bacteria.

Other diseases could have altered the same genes, Netea said, but plague is a strong candidate, because it affected Europe and not northwest India, and because it had such a widespread, devastating influence. The findings could have medical implications even in today's world, where plague is no longer such a danger. For example, autoimmune disorders, in which the body attacks its own tissues, may arise because of immune systems programmed by epidemics to respond strongly to the threat of invasion, Netea said.

Humans "were modified, basically, by the infections," he said.

The researchers report their findings Monday (Feb. 3) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[gleeaikin]

GGG Ping, SC?

[Cowboy Bob]

Gypsy is a derogatory term? Since when?

Someone better tell the Gypsy Kings.

[logi_cal869]

Pertinent:

http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf119/sf119p05.htm

http://www.diadelausabilidad.com/ccr5-delta-32-genetic-test-for-hiv-immunity.html

http://spitfirelist.com/for-the-record/ftr-472-miscellaneous-articles-and-updates/

[DoughtyOne]

There have been studies along these lines out there for a long time, decades at least.

My mother’s father’s side of the family had a problem with blood beginning to clot too easily in their early to mid 40s.

This happened to me several times in my early 40s. It was thought to possibly have been passed on from the survivors of the Black Plague.

If this is true, is it really as a result of an altered gene, or is it the result of the gene being present that somehow caused the survival of individuals who would naturally pass it on?

[urbanpovertylawcenter]

“Humans were modified, basically, by infections.”

Human, not sick + infection = modified Human, sick.

Would that Obama said it first for a Nobel Prize in Medicine?

Geico commercial: Did you know 15 minutes could save you..... everybody knows that.

Yea, but did you know what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?

[goodwithagun]

If you like your altered genes, you can keep your altered genes.

[SunTzuWu]

Bookmark.

[catnipman]

“Humans were modified, basically, by infections. ... Other diseases could have altered the same genes.”

Unscientific nonsense. Bacterial infections don’t alter human genes. Environmental forces can eliminate portions of the population carrying certain genes, while leaving other portions of the population with other genes to continue their line, thereby SHIFTING the proportion of EXISTING genes in future populations. That’s it. Alteration of percentages of the population with a particular EXISTING gene.

Perhaps some virus could weasel its way into a gamete, but short of that, nada.

[Oratam]

What happened in India a thousand years ago that got these folks on the move to begin with?

[huldah1776]

during famine, genes turn on to preserve life. Kids are born with their genes on (LOL). When do they turn off? do you know?

[JSteff]

which killed at least 75 million people,

Bet they had some much better harvest's for a few years....?

[Gumdrop]

Leiden Factor V?

[JSteff]

rare opportunity to study two genetically distinct populations in one geographical region.

You really expect we will believe that no one "did" anyone in another population group geographically located near by?
They are humans so that is very unlikely. Humans as a rule all have bear goggles.

[SunkenCiv]

The study reveals that Roma people (sometimes known as gypsies, although this is considered a derogatory term) and white Europeans share alterations to their genetic code that occurred after the Roma settled in Europe from northwest India 1,000 years ago. The plague of the 1300s, which killed at least 75 million people, is a likely candidate...

Thanks gleeaikin. We had, er, I think we had, a topic about the possibility that The Plague also hit during Roman times, which doesn't seem at all unlikely since there was a staggering amount of seagoing trade with India.

[SunkenCiv]

Black Death may have scuppered Roman Empire

[gitmo]

That's an awful lot of supposition to explain a present day observation about genetic similarities between two populations.

[SunkenCiv]

bear goggles? Is this about bestiality?!? ;’)

[SunkenCiv]

Nice!

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.lib.umt.edu/lang/indirn3h.htm#Romany

> Romany (Indo-Hittite), also called Romani and Gypsy, is the language of the people known as Gypsies. The language belongs to the Dardic sub-branch of the Indic sub-branch of the Indo-Iranian sub-branch of the Indo-European branch of the Indo-Hittite family of languages. There are many dialects. It is written with the Latin alphabet. By studying their language, anthropologists have been able to determine the probable homeland of this wandering people.