A research team has identified the most widespread genetic contribution by Denisovans to date. The study reveals that the genetic variant observed, which affects zinc regulation, could have signified an evolutionary advantage in our ancestors' adaptation to the cold. The study also reveals that this genetic adaptation may have predisposed modern humans to neuropsychiatric disorders.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The variant observed, involved in zinc regulation and with a role in cellular metabolism, could also have predisposed modern humans to psychiatric disorders such as depression or schizophrenia.
“Through genomic analysis, we noted that the genetic variant observed came from our interbreeding with archaic humans in the past, possibly the Denisovans,” says Ana Roca-Umbert, co-first author of the study.
“We discovered that this mutation surely had implications for the transport of zinc within the cell, and so we contacted Vicente’s team,” recalls Elena Bosch, IBE principal investigator and co-leader of the study.
His team, in the Biophysics of the Immune System group at the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, undertook the technical challenge of studying the movement of intracellular zinc.
Zinc, an essential trace element for human health, is an important messenger that transfers both information from the outside to the inside of cells and between different cellular compartments.
The team points out that the variant found in this zinc transporter, which is expressed in all tissues of the body, is associated with a greater predisposition to suffering from some psychiatric diseases.
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