The unique genetic background of the Nunavik Inuit may underlie specific adaptations to their extreme environment as well as their increased susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases, a study suggests. The Nunavik Inuit of Canada are a small and isolated population adapted to the extreme Arctic environment. The genetic characteristics of the population, including factors associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, are poorly understood. Guy Rouleau and colleagues analyzed genome-wide DNA variants called single nucleotide polymorphisms of 165 Nunavik Inuit, in addition to whole-exome sequences, which are protein-coding regions of the genome, of 114 of such individuals. The results suggest that the genetic background of the Nunavik Inuit is homogenous and distinct from that of any known present-day population. The Nunavik Inuit underwent a potential bottleneck approximately 10,000 years ago and likely split from their closest relatives, the Greenlandic Inuit and the Siberian Eskimos, approximately 10,500 and 11,000 years ago, respectively. Moreover, the genetic profile of the Nunavik Inuit shows evidence of adaptations in pathways involving fatty acid metabolism and cellular adhesion, as well as a variant in the OR4C3 gene associated with an increased risk of intracranial aneurysms, a complex cerebrovascular disorder characterized by weakness of the intracranial artery walls. According to the authors, the unique genetic background of the Nunavik Inuit may underlie adaptations to their extreme environment as well as increased susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases.
Article #18-10388: "Genetic architecture and adaptations of Nunavik Inuit," by Sirui Zhou et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Guy Rouleau, McGill University, Montreal, CANADA; tel: 514-398-2690; e-mail: guy.rouleau@mcgill.ca
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences