BACKTRACKING OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS USING ANCIENT HUMAN DNA

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Researchers have created the world's largest ancient human gene bank by analyzing the bones and teeth of almost 5,000 humans who lived across Western Europe and Asia up to 34,000 years ago.                    By sequencing ancient human DNA and comparing it to modern-day samples, the international team of experts mapped the historical spread of genes – and diseases – over time as populations migrated. Northern Europe has the highest prevalence of multiple sclerosis (Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the insulation surrounding the nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord. This causes symptom flares, known as relapses, as well as longer-term degeneration, known as progression) in the world. A new study has found the genes that significantly increase a person's risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) were introduced into north-western Europe around 5,000 years ago by sheep and cattle herders migrating from the east.

By analyzing the DNA of ancient human bones and teeth found at documented locations across Eurasia, researchers traced the geographical spread of MS from its origins on the Pontic Steppe (a region spanning parts of now Ukraine, South-West Russia, and West Kazakhstan Region). They found that the genetic variants associated with a risk of developing MS traveled with the Yamnaya people - livestock herders who migrated over the Pontic Steppe into North-Western Europe.

These genetic variants provided a survival advantage to the Yamnaya people, most likely by protecting them from catching infections from their sheep and cattle. But they also increased the risk of developing MS. The oldest genome in the data set is from an individual who lived approximately 34,000 years ago. The findings explain the 'North-South Gradient,' in which there are around twice as many modern-day cases of MS in northern Europe than in southern Europe, which has long been a mystery to researchers.                                                                                                                              Previous studies have identified 233 genetic variants that increase the risk of developing MS. These variants, also affected by environmental and lifestyle factors, increase disease risk by around 30 percent. The new research found that this modern-day genetic risk profile for MS is also present in bones and teeth that are thousands of years old.                                                       

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