Link to bioRxiv paper:

http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.07.29.227660v1?rss=1

Authors: Choate, L. A., Barshad, G., McMahon, P. W., Said, I., Rice, E. J., Munn, P. R., Lewis, J. J., Danko, C. G.

Abstract:

The advent of animal husbandry and hunting increased human exposure to zoonotic pathogens. To understand how a zoonotic disease influenced human evolution, we studied changes in human expression of anthrax toxin receptor 2 (ANTXR2), which encodes a cell surface protein necessary for Bacillus anthracis virulence toxins to cause anthrax disease. In immune cells, ANTXR2 was 8-fold down-regulated in all available human samples compared to non-human primates, indicating regulatory changes early in the evolution of modern humans. We also observed multiple genetic signatures consistent with recent positive selection driving a European-specific decrease in ANTXR2 expression in several non-immune tissues affected by anthrax toxins. Our observations fit a model in which humans adapted to anthrax disease following early ecological changes associated with hunting and scavenging, as well as a second period of adaptation after the rise of modern agriculture.

Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info