Did you mean: pan troglodytes
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Science (New York, N.Y.) Oct 2023The cognitive abilities of humans are distinctive among primates, but their molecular and cellular substrates are poorly understood. We used comparative single-nucleus...
The cognitive abilities of humans are distinctive among primates, but their molecular and cellular substrates are poorly understood. We used comparative single-nucleus transcriptomics to analyze samples of the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) from adult humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, rhesus macaques, and common marmosets to understand human-specific features of the neocortex. Human, chimpanzee, and gorilla MTG showed highly similar cell-type composition and laminar organization as well as a large shift in proportions of deep-layer intratelencephalic-projecting neurons compared with macaque and marmoset MTG. Microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes had more-divergent expression across species compared with neurons or oligodendrocyte precursor cells, and neuronal expression diverged more rapidly on the human lineage. Only a few hundred genes showed human-specific patterning, suggesting that relatively few cellular and molecular changes distinctively define adult human cortical structure.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Gene Expression Profiling; Gorilla gorilla; Hominidae; Macaca mulatta; Pan troglodytes; Phylogeny; Transcriptome; Neocortex; Species Specificity; Temporal Lobe; Cognition
PubMed: 37824638
DOI: 10.1126/science.ade9516 -
Cell Jul 2023Comparative studies of great apes provide a window into our evolutionary past, but the extent and identity of cellular differences that emerged during hominin evolution... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Comparative studies of great apes provide a window into our evolutionary past, but the extent and identity of cellular differences that emerged during hominin evolution remain largely unexplored. We established a comparative loss-of-function approach to evaluate whether human cells exhibit distinct genetic dependencies. By performing genome-wide CRISPR interference screens in human and chimpanzee pluripotent stem cells, we identified 75 genes with species-specific effects on cellular proliferation. These genes comprised coherent processes, including cell-cycle progression and lysosomal signaling, which we determined to be human-derived by comparison with orangutan cells. Human-specific robustness to CDK2 and CCNE1 depletion persisted in neural progenitor cells and cerebral organoids, supporting the G1-phase length hypothesis as a potential evolutionary mechanism in human brain expansion. Our findings demonstrate that evolutionary changes in human cells reshaped the landscape of essential genes and establish a platform for systematically uncovering latent cellular and molecular differences between species.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Hominidae; Neural Stem Cells; Pan troglodytes; Pluripotent Stem Cells; Stem Cells
PubMed: 37343560
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.043 -
Nature Aug 2023Human-specific genomic changes contribute to the unique functionalities of the human brain. The cellular heterogeneity of the human brain and the complex regulation of...
Human-specific genomic changes contribute to the unique functionalities of the human brain. The cellular heterogeneity of the human brain and the complex regulation of gene expression highlight the need to characterize human-specific molecular features at cellular resolution. Here we analysed single-nucleus RNA-sequencing and single-nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing datasets for human, chimpanzee and rhesus macaque brain tissue from posterior cingulate cortex. We show a human-specific increase of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and a decrease of mature oligodendrocytes across cortical tissues. Human-specific regulatory changes were accelerated in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, and we highlight key biological pathways that may be associated with the proportional changes. We also identify human-specific regulatory changes in neuronal subtypes, which reveal human-specific upregulation of FOXP2 in only two of the neuronal subtypes. We additionally identify hundreds of new human accelerated genomic regions associated with human-specific chromatin accessibility changes. Our data also reveal that FOS::JUN and FOX motifs are enriched in the human-specifically accessible chromatin regions of excitatory neuronal subtypes. Together, our results reveal several new mechanisms underlying the evolutionary innovation of human brain at cell-type resolution.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Cell Nucleus; Chromatin; Datasets as Topic; Evolution, Molecular; Genome, Human; Genomics; Gyrus Cinguli; Macaca mulatta; Neurons; Oligodendroglia; Pan troglodytes; Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis; Stem Cells; Transposases; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly
PubMed: 37468639
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06338-4 -
Science (New York, N.Y.) Oct 2023Signs of menopause in wild chimpanzees provide insights into human evolution.
Signs of menopause in wild chimpanzees provide insights into human evolution.
Topics: Animals; Female; Humans; Menopause; Pan troglodytes; Biological Evolution
PubMed: 37883538
DOI: 10.1126/science.adk7119 -
PLoS Biology Sep 2023Human language is supported by a cortical network involving Broca's area, which comprises Brodmann Areas 44 and 45 (BA44 and BA45). While cytoarchitectonic homolog areas...
Human language is supported by a cortical network involving Broca's area, which comprises Brodmann Areas 44 and 45 (BA44 and BA45). While cytoarchitectonic homolog areas have been identified in nonhuman primates, it remains unknown how these regions evolved to support human language. Here, we use histological data and advanced cortical registration methods to precisely compare the morphology of BA44 and BA45 in humans and chimpanzees. We found a general expansion of Broca's areas in humans, with the left BA44 enlarging the most, growing anteriorly into a region known to process syntax. Together with recent functional and receptorarchitectural studies, our findings support the conclusion that BA44 evolved from an action-related region to a bipartite system, with a posterior portion supporting action and an anterior portion supporting syntactic processes. Our findings add novel insights to the longstanding debate on the relationship between language and action, and the evolution of Broca's area.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Brain; Language; Pan troglodytes
PubMed: 37656748
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002266 -
Dementia & Neuropsychologia 2024The purpose of this review is to highlight the most important aspects of the anatomical and functional uniqueness of the human brain. For this, a comparison is made... (Review)
Review
The purpose of this review is to highlight the most important aspects of the anatomical and functional uniqueness of the human brain. For this, a comparison is made between our brains and those of our closest ancestors (chimpanzees and bonobos) and human ancestors. During human evolution, several changes occurred in the brain, such as an absolute increase in brain size and number of cortical neurons, in addition to a greater degree of functional lateralization and anatomical asymmetry. Also, the cortical cytoarchitecture became more diversified and there was an increase in the number of intracortical networks and networks extending from the cerebral cortex to subcortical structures, with more neural networks being invested in multisensory and sensory-motor-affective-cognitive integration. These changes permitted more complex, flexible and versatile cognitive abilities and social behavior, such as shared intentionality and symbolic articulated language, which, in turn, made possible the formation of larger social groups and cumulative cultural evolution that are characteristic of our species.
PubMed: 38628563
DOI: 10.1590/1980-5764-DN-2023-0078 -
Nature May 2024Human centromeres have been traditionally very difficult to sequence and assemble owing to their repetitive nature and large size. As a result, patterns of human...
Human centromeres have been traditionally very difficult to sequence and assemble owing to their repetitive nature and large size. As a result, patterns of human centromeric variation and models for their evolution and function remain incomplete, despite centromeres being among the most rapidly mutating regions. Here, using long-read sequencing, we completely sequenced and assembled all centromeres from a second human genome and compared it to the finished reference genome. We find that the two sets of centromeres show at least a 4.1-fold increase in single-nucleotide variation when compared with their unique flanks and vary up to 3-fold in size. Moreover, we find that 45.8% of centromeric sequence cannot be reliably aligned using standard methods owing to the emergence of new α-satellite higher-order repeats (HORs). DNA methylation and CENP-A chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments show that 26% of the centromeres differ in their kinetochore position by >500 kb. To understand evolutionary change, we selected six chromosomes and sequenced and assembled 31 orthologous centromeres from the common chimpanzee, orangutan and macaque genomes. Comparative analyses reveal a nearly complete turnover of α-satellite HORs, with characteristic idiosyncratic changes in α-satellite HORs for each species. Phylogenetic reconstruction of human haplotypes supports limited to no recombination between the short (p) and long (q) arms across centromeres and reveals that novel α-satellite HORs share a monophyletic origin, providing a strategy to estimate the rate of saltatory amplification and mutation of human centromeric DNA.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Centromere; Centromere Protein A; DNA Methylation; DNA, Satellite; Evolution, Molecular; Genetic Variation; Kinetochores; Macaca; Pan troglodytes; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Pongo; Male; Female; Reference Standards; Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; Haplotypes; Mutation; Gene Amplification; Sequence Alignment; Chromatin; Species Specificity
PubMed: 38570684
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07278-3 -
American Journal of Biological... Aug 2023Differences in talar articular morphology relative to locomotion have recently been found within Pan and Gorilla. Whole-bone talar morphology within, and shared...
OBJECTIVES
Differences in talar articular morphology relative to locomotion have recently been found within Pan and Gorilla. Whole-bone talar morphology within, and shared variation among, Pan and Gorilla (sub)species, however, has yet to be investigated. Here we separately analyze talar external shape within Pan (P. t. troglodytes, P. t. schweinfurthii, P. t. verus, P. paniscus) and Gorilla (G. g. gorilla, G. b. beringei, G. b. graueri) relative to degree of arboreality and body size. Pan and Gorilla are additionally analyzed together to determine if consistent shape differences exist within the genera.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Talar external shape was quantified using a weighted spherical harmonic analysis. Shape variation both within and among Pan and Gorilla was described using principal component analyses. Root mean square distances were calculated between taxon averages, and resampling statistics conducted to test for pairwise differences.
RESULTS
P. t. verus (most arboreal Pan) talar shape significantly differs from other Pan taxa (p < 0.05 for pairwise comparisons) driven by more asymmetrical trochlear rims and a medially-set talar head. P. t. troglodytes, P. t. schweinfurthii, and P. paniscus do not significantly differ (p > 0.05 for pairwise comparisons). All gorilla taxa exhibit significantly different talar morphologies (p < 0.007 for pairwise comparisons). The more terrestrial subspecies of G. beringei and P. troglodytes exhibit a superoinferiorly taller talar head/neck complex.
DISCUSSION
P. t. verus exhibits talar morphologies that have been previously related to more frequent arboreality. The adaptations in the more terrestrial G. beringei and P. troglodytes subspecies may serve to facilitate load transmission.
Topics: Animals; Acclimatization; Adaptation, Physiological; Gorilla gorilla; Hominidae; Trees
PubMed: 37300336
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24796 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2023Reproductive inequality, or reproductive skew, drives natural selection, but has been difficult to assess, particularly for males in species with promiscuous mating and... (Review)
Review
Reproductive inequality, or reproductive skew, drives natural selection, but has been difficult to assess, particularly for males in species with promiscuous mating and slow life histories, such as bonobos () and chimpanzees (). Although bonobos are often portrayed as more egalitarian than chimpanzees, genetic studies have found high male reproductive skew in bonobos. Here, we discuss mechanisms likely to affect male reproductive skew in , then re-examine skew patterns using paternity data from published work and new data from the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Using the multinomial index (), we found considerable overlap in skew between the species, but the highest skew occurred among bonobos. Additionally, for two of three bonobo communities, but no chimpanzee communities, the highest ranking male had greater siring success than predicted by priority-of-access. Thus, an expanded dataset covering a broader demographic range confirms that bonobos have high male reproductive skew. Detailed comparison of data from highlights that reproductive skew models should consider male-male dynamics including the effect of between-group competition on incentives for reproductive concessions, but also female grouping patterns and factors related to male-female dynamics including the expression of female choice. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
Topics: Female; Male; Animals; Pan paniscus; Pan troglodytes; Biological Evolution; Cell Communication; Congo
PubMed: 37381849
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0301 -
ELife Jul 2023Inflammasomes are cytosolic innate immune complexes that assemble upon detection of diverse pathogen-associated cues and play a critical role in host defense and...
Inflammasomes are cytosolic innate immune complexes that assemble upon detection of diverse pathogen-associated cues and play a critical role in host defense and inflammatory pathogenesis. Here, we find that the human inflammasome-forming sensor CARD8 senses HIV-1 infection via site-specific cleavage of the CARD8 N-terminus by the HIV protease (HIV-1). HIV-1 cleavage of CARD8 induces pyroptotic cell death and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from infected cells, processes regulated by Toll-like receptor stimulation prior to viral infection. In acutely infected cells, CARD8 senses the activity of both de novo translated HIV-1 and packaged HIV-1 that is released from the incoming virion. Moreover, our evolutionary analyses reveal that the HIV-1 cleavage site in human CARD8 arose after the divergence of chimpanzees and humans. Although chimpanzee CARD8 does not recognize proteases from HIV or simian immunodeficiency viruses from chimpanzees (SIVcpz), SIVcpz does cleave human CARD8, suggesting that SIVcpz was poised to activate the human CARD8 inflammasome prior to its cross-species transmission into humans. Our findings suggest a unique role for CARD8 inflammasome activation in response to lentiviral infection of humans.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Inflammasomes; HIV-1; Pan troglodytes; HIV Infections; Simian Immunodeficiency Virus; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; Neoplasm Proteins; CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins
PubMed: 37417868
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.84108