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Study of Adaptation to Hypoxia in Ethiopian Highlanders via Whole Genome Sequencing

Although it has long been proposed that genetic factors contribute to adaptation to high altitude, such factors remain largely unverified. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing have made it feasible to analyze genome-wide patterns of genetic variation in human populations. Since traditionally such studies surveyed only a small fraction of the genome (either exons or a subset of SNPs) or a group of candidate genes, interpretation of the results was limited.

We focused our study on Ethiopian highlander populations, which have been found to be well adapted to high altitudes (~3500m). We sequenced and analyze the genomes of 13 high altitude native Ethiopians: 6 individuals of Oromo heritage living on Bale Plateau (labeled "Oromos"), and 7 individuals residing on the Chennek field in the Simien Mountains (labeled "Amhara").

Our study revealed evolutionarily conserved genes that modulate hypoxia tolerance.