MBE Advance Access originally published online on April 15, 2008
Molecular Biology and Evolution 2008 25(7):1257-1259; doi:10.1093/molbev/msn091
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Letters |
The Timing of Selection at the Human FOXP2 Gene
* Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago
Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago
E-mail: mfp{at}uchicago.edu
Accepted for publication April 7, 2008.
Krause J, Lalueza-Fox C, Orlando L, et al. recently examined patterns of genetic variation at FOXP2 in 2 Neanderthals. This gene is of particular interest because it is involved in speech and language and was previously shown to harbor the signature of recent positive selection. The authors found the same 2 amino acid substitutions in Neanderthals as in modern humans. Assuming that these sites were the targets of selection and no interbreeding between the 2 groups, they concluded that selection at FOXP2 occurred before the populations split, over 300 thousand years ago. Here, we show that the data are unlikely under this scenario but may instead be consistent with low rates of gene flow between modern humans and Neanderthals. We also collect additional data and introduce a modeling framework to estimate levels of modern human contamination of the Neanderthal samples. We find that, depending on the assumptions, additional control experiments may be needed to rule out contamination at FOXP2.
Key Words: selective sweep • ancient DNA • Neanderthal • FOXP2
Dan Graur, Associate Editor
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