Cited by 166Forensic and Genetic ResearchEvolution and Genetic DynamicsGenetic Associations and Epidemiology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 46 of the 47 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 1 of the 30 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Evidence for recent, population-specific evolution of the human mutation rate

Open access
Harris, Kelley·2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Significance: Most, but not all, human genetic variation is shared between populations, and whole-genome sequencing is now making it possible to catalogue population-private mutations that occur in only one ethnic group and are especially informative about recent human history. By contrasting frequencies of mutations private to Europe, Asia, and Africa, I have revealed a previously undetected difference between Europeans and other ethnic groups: Europeans experience higher rates of a specific mutation type that has known associations with UV light exposure. Although it is not clear whether the excess mutations are harmful or directly related to the UV sensitivity of light skin, this result demonstrates that the human mutation rate has evolved on a much faster timescale than previously believed.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper reports that private European SNPs in the 1000 Genomes data are enriched for the C→T transition 5′-TCC-3′→5′-TTC-3′, suggesting a recent population-specific increase in this mutation type after Europeans diverged from Asians. The author argues this implies the human mutation rate has not remained stable over the last tens of thousands of years, though the mechanism and causality remain unresolved.

Key findings

  • In the 1000 Genomes phase I data, private European SNPs (462,876) had a higher percentage of C→T transitions (41.01%) than private Asian SNPs (38.99%) and private African SNPs (38.29%).
  • The transition 5′-TCC-3′→5′-TTC-3′ plus its reverse-strand complement had frequency 3.32% in private European SNPs, compared with 1.98% in private African SNPs and 2.04% in private Asian SNPs; the abstract reports a 50% frequency increase during the 40,000–80,000 y since Europeans began diverging from Asians, while ARGweaver-based estimates place acceleration between 25,000 and 60,000 y ago.
  • TCC→T was the only mutation type with a significant strand-bias difference between populations at P < 0.01: private European TCC→T SNPs showed no discernible strand bias, whereas private Asian and African TCC→T SNPs showed the typical A/C→G/T strand bias.
  • European private genic SNPs had higher f(TCC) than intergenic SNPs, while Asian and African private genic sets had lower TCC→T frequencies, suggesting less effective transcription-coupled repair of TCC→T in Europeans; TCC→T is also described as the most common somatic mutation in melanoma and the mutation most frequently induced in vitro by UV.

Methods

  • Analyzed 1000 Genomes phase I data from 1,092 human genomes, constructing population-private SNP sets for Europe (PE), Asia (PAs), and Africa (PAf), plus shared European-Asian SNPs (PAsE); singletons and variants with imputation quality RSQ < 0.95 were excluded, and ancestral states were inferred using the UCSC chimp PanTro4 alignment to hg19.
  • Used Pearson’s χ² tests to compare mutation-type frequencies between SNP sets, nonparametric bootstrapping in bins of 1,000 consecutive SNPs within chromosomes, and χ² tests for transcription-strand bias using UCSC gene annotations.
  • Compared results with Complete Genomics high-coverage genomes and with de novo mutation calls from 82 Icelandic trios.

Limitations

  • Stated: The paper says it cannot pinpoint why the TCC→T rate increased and whether UV played a causal role; it cautions that the asymmetry could be confounded by bioinformatic biases, especially because 1000 Genomes phase I is heavily imputed and contains more European than Asian genomes, which could inflate rare European variant ascertainment.
  • Stated: The author notes that current data cannot tell whether skin lightening predated TCC→T acceleration, and that the mechanism linking UV to germ-line mutations is unclear.
  • Evident from the text: The inference relies on population-private SNPs and ancestral-state calls rather than direct de novo mutation measurement in non-Europeans, and the UV/melanoma connection is correlative rather than causally tested.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.1418652112

Cites

46 of 46 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

31 Own result · 19 Not checked yet · 17 Own interpretation · 6 No basis given · 2 Own method · 1 Partly supported · accuracy not yet measured

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Show all 45 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 25
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 12
31 of 31
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The TCC to T mutation rate is the same in genic and intergenic regions in Europeans because transcription-coupled repair is ineffective at preventing TCC to T mutations in Europeans.

    “If we assume that the TCC → T mutation rate is the same in genic and intergenic regions because TCR is ineffective at preventing TCC → T mutations in Europeans, we should expect the frequency f ðTCCÞ to be slightly higher among private genic SNPs than among private intergenic SNPs.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The observed European excess of TCC to T mutations is not explained by demographic events such as a population bottleneck.

    “This asymmetry cannot be explained by a demographic event such as a population bottleneck; however, it should be interpreted with caution because many bioinformatic biases have the potential to confound this test.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Previous studies have presented no evidence of mutation rate evolution on a timescale as recent as the human migration out of Africa.

    “To my knowledge, previous studies have presented no evidence of mutation rate evolution on a timescale as recent as the human migration out of Africa.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The private SNPs used in the analysis are enriched for young mutations that arose after humans left Africa and began adapting to temperate latitudes.

    “These SNPs should be enriched for young mutations that arose after humans had already left Africa and begun adapting to temperate latitudes.”
4 of 4

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Citations

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Metadata

Authors
Harris, K.
Affiliations
University of California, Berkeley (US)
Corresponding author
Harris, Kelley
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2015-03-02
Volume
112
Issue
11
Pages
3439-3444
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W2115741580
Cited by
165
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 8
FWCI
11.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1000078615)
  • HHS | National Institutes of Health (IR01GM109454-01)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Forensic and Genetic Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
Keywords
mutation spectrum, UV mutagenesis, DNA replication fidelity, local adaptation, European populations, melanoma, DNA damage response, human dispersal out of Africa, 1000 Genomes Project
MeSH terms
Europe, Biological Evolution, Genetics, Population, Humans, Mutation, Transcription, Genetic, Genetic Variation, Computational Biology, Mutation Rate

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