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- There is a denisovan gene that makes people vulnerable to mental health problems
- The gene was transferred to humans about 60,000 years ago in Asia
- Read more: Denisovan DNA can be found in humans today
Humans interbreeding with now-extinct species they met in Asia about 60,000 years ago may be the reason you develop depression, a new study has claimed.
Researchers led by Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona have discovered a genetic variant that diminishes as a result of mixing with an ancient human, the Denisovan, involved in regulating zinc that releases less.
Zinc plays a role in modulating brain activity, which can affect mood and behavior, and its deficiency has been observed in individuals with mental health disorders.
The SLC30A9 gene is the most widespread Denisovan genetic heritage discovered to date, starting in Asia and spreading to European and Native American populations, scientists said.
Researchers led by the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona have discovered a genetic variant that diminishes as a result of mixing with an ancient human, the Denisovans, involved in regulating zinc, which releases less.
Elena Busch, principal investigator at IBE and co-leader of the study, and her team have identified an adaptive variant among current human groups in a region of our genome that bears remarkable similarity to the genome of an extinct ancestral group: the Denisovans.
“We discovered that this mutation definitely has implications for zinc transport within the cell,” Bush said.
Researchers have looked into the Neanderthal heritage, but found that the population was absent from the mutation.
Ruben Vicente, principal investigator at MELIS-UPF, then joined the team to analyze the movement of zinc within cells.
“Elena contacted me because her team noticed an amino acid change in the zinc transporter, which was very different between the populations of Africa and Asia today,” Vicente said.
The mutation helped Denisovans adapt to the cold, hostile climate that once ravaged Asia
“From there, we started asking ourselves questions and looking for answers.”
His lab determined that the observed variant causes a new balance of zinc within the cell, promoting a change in metabolism.
This led them to discover that the mutation helped Denisovans adapt to the cold, hostile climate that once ravaged Asia.
Zinc transport is also involved in the excitability of the nervous system and plays a role in mental balance and health in people.
The team suggests that a variant in this zinc transporter, which is expressed in all tissues of the body, is associated with a greater susceptibility to suffering from some mental illnesses.
These include anorexia nervosa, hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.
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