Gene-culture coevolution between cattle milk protein genes and human lactase genes

Albano Beja-Pereira; Gordon Luikart; Phillip R. England; Daniel G. Bradley; Oliver C. Jann; Giorgio Bertorelle; Andrew T. Chamberlain; Telmo P. Nunes; Stoitcho Metodiev; Nuno Ferrand; Georg Erhardt

doi:10.1038/ng1263

Gene-culture coevolution between cattle milk protein genes and human lactase genes

Albano Beja-Pereira
, Gordon Luikart
, Phillip R. England
, Daniel G. Bradley
, Oliver C. Jann
, Giorgio Bertorelle
, Andrew T. Chamberlain
, Telmo P. Nunes
, Stoitcho Metodiev
, Nuno Ferrand
, Georg Erhardt

Flathead Lake Biological Station

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

281 Scopus citations

Abstract

Milk from domestic cows has been a valuable food source for over 8,000 years, especially in lactose-tolerant human societies that exploit dairy breeds. We studied geographic patterns of variation in genes encoding the six most important milk proteins in 70 native European cattle breeds. We found substantial geographic coincidence between high diversity in cattle milk genes, locations of the European Neolithic cattle farming sites (>5,000 years ago) and present-day lactose tolerance in Europeans. This suggests a gene-culture coevolution between cattle and humans.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	311-313
Number of pages	3
Journal	Nature Genetics
Volume	35
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1263
State	Published - Dec 2003

Funding

We thank M. Zvelebil for ideas and discussion. A.B.-P. is supported by a grant from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through the Graduate Programme in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, and the work was partially supported by a Praxis project grant. G.L. and P.R.E. were funded by the European Union (Econogene). D.G.B. is a Science Foundation Ireland Investigator.

Funders
European Commission

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10.1038/ng1263

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title = "Gene-culture coevolution between cattle milk protein genes and human lactase genes",

abstract = "Milk from domestic cows has been a valuable food source for over 8,000 years, especially in lactose-tolerant human societies that exploit dairy breeds. We studied geographic patterns of variation in genes encoding the six most important milk proteins in 70 native European cattle breeds. We found substantial geographic coincidence between high diversity in cattle milk genes, locations of the European Neolithic cattle farming sites (>5,000 years ago) and present-day lactose tolerance in Europeans. This suggests a gene-culture coevolution between cattle and humans.",

author = "Albano Beja-Pereira and Gordon Luikart and England, \{Phillip R.\} and Bradley, \{Daniel G.\} and Jann, \{Oliver C.\} and Giorgio Bertorelle and Chamberlain, \{Andrew T.\} and Nunes, \{Telmo P.\} and Stoitcho Metodiev and Nuno Ferrand and Georg Erhardt",

note = "Funding Information: We thank M. Zvelebil for ideas and discussion. A.B.-P. is supported by a grant from Funda{\c c}{\~a}o para a Ci{\^e}ncia e Tecnologia through the Graduate Programme in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, and the work was partially supported by a Praxis project grant. G.L. and P.R.E. were funded by the European Union (Econogene). D.G.B. is a Science Foundation Ireland Investigator.",

year = "2003",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1038/ng1263",

language = "English",

volume = "35",

pages = "311--313",

journal = "Nature Genetics",

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AU - Beja-Pereira, Albano

AU - Luikart, Gordon

AU - England, Phillip R.

AU - Bradley, Daniel G.

AU - Jann, Oliver C.

AU - Bertorelle, Giorgio

AU - Chamberlain, Andrew T.

AU - Nunes, Telmo P.

AU - Metodiev, Stoitcho

AU - Ferrand, Nuno

AU - Erhardt, Georg

N1 - Funding Information: We thank M. Zvelebil for ideas and discussion. A.B.-P. is supported by a grant from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through the Graduate Programme in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, and the work was partially supported by a Praxis project grant. G.L. and P.R.E. were funded by the European Union (Econogene). D.G.B. is a Science Foundation Ireland Investigator.

PY - 2003/12

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N2 - Milk from domestic cows has been a valuable food source for over 8,000 years, especially in lactose-tolerant human societies that exploit dairy breeds. We studied geographic patterns of variation in genes encoding the six most important milk proteins in 70 native European cattle breeds. We found substantial geographic coincidence between high diversity in cattle milk genes, locations of the European Neolithic cattle farming sites (>5,000 years ago) and present-day lactose tolerance in Europeans. This suggests a gene-culture coevolution between cattle and humans.

AB - Milk from domestic cows has been a valuable food source for over 8,000 years, especially in lactose-tolerant human societies that exploit dairy breeds. We studied geographic patterns of variation in genes encoding the six most important milk proteins in 70 native European cattle breeds. We found substantial geographic coincidence between high diversity in cattle milk genes, locations of the European Neolithic cattle farming sites (>5,000 years ago) and present-day lactose tolerance in Europeans. This suggests a gene-culture coevolution between cattle and humans.

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U2 - 10.1038/ng1263

DO - 10.1038/ng1263

M3 - Article

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AN - SCOPUS:0345257771

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SP - 311

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JO - Nature Genetics

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ER -

Gene-culture coevolution between cattle milk protein genes and human lactase genes

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Funding

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Erratum: Gene-culture coevolution between cattle milk protein genes and human lactase genes (Nature Genetics (2003) 35 (311-313))

Cite this