Our Neanderthal gene has played an important role in modern human nose shape

" Our Neanderthal gene has played an important role in modern human nose shape"

Based on a new study has been published recently in Nature, it has been identified that genetic material inherited from Neanderthals, can influence on modern human nose shape.

In this study, regions of the genome belong to European, Native American and African individuals has been analyzed which are related to facial structure. Then results compared to other human and Neanderthal genome studies.

Ultimately, researchers identified 26 genetic regions that were strongly linked to a human’s face shape. Individuals with Native American ancestry have ATF3 gene which is inherited from Neanderthals. The expression of this gene is modulated by another gene that can impact the shape of the face. Considering this, coupled with evidence that suggests ATF3 becomes active as our faces are formed, researchers indicate that the presence of the gene may make a vital difference in the growth of the nose. However, individuals with European ancestry lack this gene.

Previous studies on Neanderthal skulls clarified that their noses had a tendency to be taller than those of modern humans. Primary studies show some of other genes related to nose shape may be inherited from Neanderthals or Denisovans. Considering the presence of ATF3 through the generations in American population, researchers suggest that this gene might be effective in the survival of people. For example, the shape of human noses evolve to be well adapted to the surrounding climate, and also regulating the temperature and humidity. Thus, this gene helped our ancestors adapt to colder climates after migration out of Africa. It is worth noting that in a separate study done by this team, it has been found that a gene which was inherited from Denisovans is associated with lip shape in modern humans.

This study merely indicates relations between genome regions and facial structure, not a direct path of cause and effect. But what can be said for sure is that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens regularly shared genes with one another in Europe and Asia. Some of these genes still stick with us and a few are even related to health benefits including safer birth, improved resistance to viruses, or blood infections. It is noteworthy to mention that the function of these genes is poorly understood, but we can use these connections to investigate the effect of a gene for future clinical research.

Sahar Mortezanejad

References

1. Li, Q., Chen, J., Faux, P.?et al.?Automatic landmarking identifies new loci associated with face morphology and implicates Neanderthal introgression in human nasal shape.?Commun Biol?6, 481 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04838-7

2. Bonfante B, Faux P, Navarro N, et al. A GWAS in Latin Americans identifies novel face shape loci, implicating VPS13B and a Denisovan introgressed region in facial variation.?Sci Adv. 2021;7(6):eabc6160. Published 2021 Feb 5. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abc6160

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1. Li, Q., Chen, J., Faux, P.?et al.?Automatic landmarking identifies new loci associated with face morphology and implicates Neanderthal introgression in human nasal shape.?Commun Biol?6, 481 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04838-7

2. Bonfante B, Faux P, Navarro N, et al. A GWAS in Latin Americans identifies novel face shape loci, implicating VPS13B and a Denisovan introgressed region in facial variation.?Sci Adv. 2021;7(6):eabc6160. Published 2021 Feb 5. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abc6160

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