Publications of Elaine E. Guevara
%% Journal Articles
@article{fds373899,
Author = {Guevara, E and Gopalan, S and Massey, DJ and Adegboyega, M and Zhou, W and Solis, A and Anaya, AD and Churchill, SE and Feldblum, J and Lawler,
RR},
Title = {Getting it right: Teaching undergraduate biology to
undermine racial essentialism.},
Journal = {Biology Methods and Protocols},
Volume = {8},
Number = {1},
Pages = {bpad032},
Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)},
Year = {2023},
Month = {January},
Abstract = {How we teach human genetics matters for social equity. The
biology curriculum appears to be a crucial locus of
intervention for either reinforcing or undermining students'
racial essentialist views. The Mendelian genetic models
dominating textbooks, particularly in combination with
racially inflected language sometimes used when teaching
about monogenic disorders, can increase middle and high
school students' racial essentialism and opposition to
policies to increase equity. These findings are of
particular concern given the increasing spread of racist
misinformation online and the misappropriation of human
genomics research by white supremacists, who take advantage
of low levels of genetics literacy in the general public.
Encouragingly, however, teaching updated information about
the geographical distribution of human genetic variation and
the complex, multifactorial basis of most human traits,
reduces students' endorsement of racial essentialism. The
genetics curriculum is therefore a key tool in combating
misinformation and scientific racism. Here, we describe a
framework and example teaching materials for teaching
students key concepts in genetics, human evolutionary
history, and human phenotypic variation at the undergraduate
level. This framework can be flexibly applied in biology and
anthropology classes and adjusted based on time
availability. Our goal is to provide undergraduate-level
instructors with varying levels of expertise with a set of
evidence-informed tools for teaching human genetics to
combat scientific racism, including an evolving set of
instructional resources, as well as learning goals and
pedagogical approaches. Resources can be found at
https://noto.li/YIlhZ5. Additionally, we hope to generate
conversation about integrating modern genetics into the
undergraduate curriculum, in light of recent findings about
the risks and opportunities associated with teaching
genetics.},
Doi = {10.1093/biomethods/bpad032},
Key = {fds373899}
}
@article{fds363984,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Hopkins, WD and Hof, PR and Ely, JJ and Bradley, BJ and Sherwood, CC},
Title = {Epigenetic ageing of the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum in
humans and chimpanzees.},
Journal = {Epigenetics},
Volume = {17},
Number = {12},
Pages = {1774-1785},
Year = {2022},
Month = {December},
Abstract = {Epigenetic age has emerged as an important biomarker of
biological ageing. It has revealed that some tissues age
faster than others, which is vital to understanding the
complex phenomenon of ageing and developing effective
interventions. Previous studies have demonstrated that
humans exhibit heterogeneity in pace of epigenetic ageing
among brain structures that are consistent with differences
in structural and microanatomical deterioration. Here, we
add comparative data on epigenetic brain ageing for
chimpanzees, humans' closest relatives. Such comparisons can
further our understanding of which aspects of human ageing
are evolutionarily conserved or specific to our species,
especially given that humans are distinguished by a long
lifespan, large brain, and, potentially, more severe
neurodegeneration with age. Specifically, we investigated
epigenetic ageing of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and
cerebellum, of humans and chimpanzees by generating
genome-wide CpG methylation data and applying established
epigenetic clock algorithms to produce estimates of
biological age for these tissues. We found that both species
exhibit relatively slow epigenetic ageing in the brain
relative to blood. Between brain structures, humans show a
faster rate of epigenetic ageing in the dorsolateral
prefrontal cortex compared to the cerebellum, which is
consistent with previous findings. Chimpanzees, in contrast,
show comparable rates of epigenetic ageing in the two brain
structures. Greater epigenetic change in the human
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to the cerebellum
may reflect both the protracted development of this
structure in humans and its greater age-related
vulnerability to neurodegenerative pathology.},
Doi = {10.1080/15592294.2022.2080993},
Key = {fds363984}
}
@article{fds366563,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Greene, LK and Blanco, MB and Farmer, C and Ranaivonasy,
J and Ratsirarson, J and Mahefarisoa, KL and Rajaonarivelo, T and Rakotondrainibe, HH and Junge, RE and Williams, CV and Rambeloson, E and Rasoanaivo, HA and Rahalinarivo, V and Andrianandrianina, LH and Clayton, JB and Rothman, RS and Lawler, RR and Bradley, BJ and Yoder,
AD},
Title = {Molecular adaptation to folivory and the conservation
implications for Madagascar’s lemurs},
Year = {2021},
Month = {July},
Abstract = {<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Folivory evolved
independently at least three times over the last 40 million
years among Madagascar’s lemurs. Many extant lemuriform
folivores exist in sympatry in Madagascar’s remaining
forests. These species avoid feeding competition by adopting
different dietary strategies within folivory, reflected in
behavioral, morphological, and microbiota diversity across
species. These conditions make lemurs an ideal study system
for understanding adaptation to leaf-eating. Most folivorous
lemurs are also highly endangered. The significance of
folivory for conservation outlook is complex. Though
generalist folivores may be relatively well equipped to
survive habitat disturbance, specialist folivores occupying
narrow dietary niches may be less resilient. Characterizing
the genetic bases of adaptation to folivory across species
and lineages can provide insights into their differential
physiology and potential to resist habitat change. We
recently reported accelerated genetic change
in<jats:italic>RNASE1</jats:italic>, a gene encoding an
enzyme (RNase 1) involved in molecular adaptation in
mammalian folivores, including various monkeys and sifakas
(genus<jats:italic>Propithecus</jats:italic>; family
Indriidae). Here, we sought to assess whether other lemurs,
including phylogenetically and ecologically diverse
folivores, might show parallel adaptive change
in<jats:italic>RNASE1</jats:italic>that could underlie a
capacity for efficient folivory. We characterized<jats:italic>RNASE1</jats:italic>in
21 lemur species representing all five families and members
of the three extant folivorous lineages: 1) bamboo lemurs
(family Lemuridae), 2) sportive lemurs (family
Lepilemuridae), and 3) indriids (family Indriidae). We found
pervasive sequence change in<jats:italic>RNASE1</jats:italic>across
all indriids, a d<jats:sub>N</jats:sub>/d<jats:sub>S</jats:sub>value
> 3 in this clade, and evidence for shared change in
isoelectric point, indicating altered enzymatic function.
Sportive and bamboo lemurs, in contrast, showed more modest
sequence change. The greater change in indriids may reflect
a shared strategy emphasizing complex gut morphology and
microbiota to facilitate folivory. This case study
illustrates how genetic analysis may reveal differences in
functional traits that could influence species’ ecology
and, in turn, their resilience to habitat change. Moreover,
our results support the contention that not all primate
folivores are built the same and highlight the need to avoid
generalizations about dietary guild in considering
conservation outlook, particularly in lemurs where such
diversity in folivory has probably led to extensive
specialization via niche partitioning.</jats:p>},
Doi = {10.1101/2021.07.06.451309},
Key = {fds366563}
}
@article{fds356173,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Hopkins, WD and Hof, PR and Ely, JJ and Bradley, BJ and Sherwood, CC},
Title = {Comparative analysis reveals distinctive epigenetic features
of the human cerebellum.},
Journal = {Plos Genetics},
Volume = {17},
Number = {5},
Pages = {e1009506},
Year = {2021},
Month = {May},
Abstract = {Identifying the molecular underpinnings of the neural
specializations that underlie human cognitive and behavioral
traits has long been of considerable interest. Much research
on human-specific changes in gene expression and epigenetic
marks has focused on the prefrontal cortex, a brain
structure distinguished by its role in executive functions.
The cerebellum shows expansion in great apes and is gaining
increasing attention for its role in motor skills and
cognitive processing, including language. However,
relatively few molecular studies of the cerebellum in a
comparative evolutionary context have been conducted. Here,
we identify human-specific methylation in the lateral
cerebellum relative to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,
in a comparative study with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Specifically, we
profiled genome-wide methylation levels in the three species
for each of the two brain structures and identified
human-specific differentially methylated genomic regions
unique to each structure. We further identified which
differentially methylated regions (DMRs) overlap likely
regulatory elements and determined whether associated genes
show corresponding species differences in gene expression.
We found greater human-specific methylation in the
cerebellum than the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, with
differentially methylated regions overlapping genes involved
in several conditions or processes relevant to human
neurobiology, including synaptic plasticity, lipid
metabolism, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, and
neurodevelopment, including developmental disorders.
Moreover, our results show some overlap with those of
previous studies focused on the neocortex, indicating that
such results may be common to multiple brain structures.
These findings further our understanding of the cerebellum
in human brain evolution.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1009506},
Key = {fds356173}
}
@article{fds355947,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Webster, TH and Lawler, RR and Bradley, BJ and Greene,
LK and Ranaivonasy, J and Ratsirarson, J and Harris, RA and Liu, Y and Murali, S and Raveendran, M and Hughes, DST and Muzny, DM and Yoder, AD and Worley, KC and Rogers, J},
Title = {Comparative genomic analysis of sifakas (Propithecus)
reveals selection for folivory and high heterozygosity
despite endangered status.},
Journal = {Science Advances},
Volume = {7},
Number = {17},
Pages = {eabd2274},
Year = {2021},
Month = {April},
Abstract = {Sifakas (genus Propithecus) are critically endangered,
large-bodied diurnal lemurs that eat leaf-based diets and
show corresponding anatomical and microbial adaptations to
folivory. We report on the genome assembly of Coquerel's
sifaka (P. coquereli) and the resequenced genomes of
Verreaux's (P. verreauxi), the golden-crowned (P.
tattersalli), and the diademed (P. diadema) sifakas. We find
high heterozygosity in all sifakas compared with other
primates and endangered mammals. Demographic reconstructions
nevertheless suggest declines in effective population size
beginning before human arrival on Madagascar. Comparative
genomic analyses indicate pervasive accelerated evolution in
the ancestral sifaka lineage affecting genes in several
complementary pathways relevant to folivory, including
nutrient absorption and xenobiotic and fatty acid
metabolism. Sifakas show convergent evolution at the level
of the pathway, gene family, gene, and amino acid
substitution with other folivores. Although sifakas have
relatively generalized diets, the physiological challenges
of habitual folivory likely led to strong
selection.},
Doi = {10.1126/sciadv.abd2274},
Key = {fds355947}
}
@article{fds355361,
Author = {Staes, N and Guevara, EE and Helsen, P and Eens, M and Stevens,
JMG},
Title = {The Pan social brain: An evolutionary history of
neurochemical receptor genes and their potential impact on
sociocognitive differences.},
Journal = {Journal of Human Evolution},
Volume = {152},
Pages = {102949},
Year = {2021},
Month = {March},
Abstract = {Humans have unique cognitive capacities that, compared with
apes, are not only simply expressed as a higher level of
general intelligence, but also as a quantitative difference
in sociocognitive skills. Humans' closest living relatives,
bonobos (Pan paniscus), and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes),
show key between-species differences in social cognition
despite their close phylogenetic relatedness, with bonobos
arguably showing greater similarities to humans. To better
understand the evolution of these traits, we investigate the
neurochemical mechanisms underlying sociocognitive skills by
focusing on variation in genes encoding proteins with
well-documented roles in mammalian social cognition: the
receptors for vasopressin (AVPR1A), oxytocin (OXTR),
serotonin (HTR1A), and dopamine (DRD2). Although these genes
have been well studied in humans, little is known about
variation in these genes that may underlie differences in
social behavior and cognition in apes. We comparatively
analyzed sequence data for 33 bonobos and 57 chimpanzees,
together with orthologous sequence data for other apes. In
all four genes, we describe genetic variants that alter the
amino acid sequence of the respective receptors, raising the
possibility that ligand binding or signal transduction may
be impacted. Overall, bonobos show 57% more fixed
substitutions than chimpanzees compared with the ancestral
Pan lineage. Chimpanzees, show 31% more polymorphic coding
variation, in line with their larger historical effective
population size estimates and current wider distribution. An
extensive literature review comparing allelic changes in Pan
with known human behavioral variants revealed evidence of
homologous evolution in bonobos and humans (OXTR
rs4686301(T) and rs237897(A)), while humans and chimpanzees
shared OXTR rs2228485(A), DRD2 rs6277(A), and DRD2
rs11214613(A) to the exclusion of bonobos. Our results offer
the first in-depth comparison of neurochemical receptor gene
variation in Pan and put forward new variants for future
behavior-genotype association studies in apes, which can
increase our understanding of the evolution of social
cognition in modern humans.},
Doi = {10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102949},
Key = {fds355361}
}
@article{fds352546,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Lawler, RR and Staes, N and White, CM and Sherwood, CC and Ely, JJ and Hopkins, WD and Bradley, BJ},
Title = {Age-associated epigenetic change in chimpanzees and
humans.},
Journal = {Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.
Series B, Biological Sciences},
Volume = {375},
Number = {1811},
Pages = {20190616},
Year = {2020},
Month = {November},
Abstract = {Methylation levels have been shown to change with age at
sites across the human genome. Change at some of these sites
is so consistent across individuals that it can be used as
an 'epigenetic clock' to predict an individual's
chronological age to within a few years. Here, we examined
how the pattern of epigenetic ageing in chimpanzees compares
with humans. We profiled genome-wide blood methylation
levels by microarray for 113 samples from 83 chimpanzees
aged 1-58 years (26 chimpanzees were sampled at multiple
ages during their lifespan). Many sites (greater than 65
000) showed significant change in methylation with age and
around one-third (32%) of these overlap with sites showing
significant age-related change in humans. At over 80% of
sites showing age-related change in both species,
chimpanzees displayed a significantly faster rate of
age-related change in methylation than humans. We also built
a chimpanzee-specific epigenetic clock that predicted age in
our test dataset with a median absolute deviation from known
age of only 2.4 years. However, our chimpanzee clock showed
little overlap with previously constructed human clocks.
Methylation at CpGs comprising our chimpanzee clock showed
moderate heritability. Although the use of a human
microarray for profiling chimpanzees biases our results
towards regions with shared genomic sequence between the
species, nevertheless, our results indicate that there is
considerable conservation in epigenetic ageing between
chimpanzees and humans, but also substantial divergence in
both rate and genomic distribution of ageing-associated
sites. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution of
the primate ageing process'.},
Doi = {10.1098/rstb.2019.0616},
Key = {fds352546}
}
@article{fds346144,
Author = {Singh, SV and Staes, N and Guevara, EE and Schapiro, SJ and Ely, JJ and Hopkins, WD and Sherwood, CC and Bradley, BJ},
Title = {Evolution of ASPM coding variation in apes and associations
with brain structure in chimpanzees.},
Journal = {Genes, Brain, and Behavior},
Volume = {18},
Number = {7},
Pages = {e12582},
Year = {2019},
Month = {September},
Abstract = {Studying genetic mechanisms underlying primate brain
morphology can provide insight into the evolution of human
brain structure and cognition. In humans, loss-of-function
mutations in the gene coding for ASPM (Abnormal Spindle
Microtubule Assembly) have been associated with primary
microcephaly, which is defined by a significantly reduced
brain volume, intellectual disability and delayed
development. However, less is known about the effects of
common ASPM variation in humans and other primates. In this
study, we characterized the degree of coding variation at
ASPM in a large sample of chimpanzees (N = 241), and
examined potential associations between genotype and various
measures of brain morphology. We identified and genotyped
five non-synonymous polymorphisms in exons 3 (V588G), 18
(Q2772K, K2796E, C2811Y) and 27 (I3427V). Using T1-weighted
magnetic resonance imaging of brains, we measured total
brain volume, cerebral gray and white matter volume,
cerebral ventricular volume, and cortical surface area in
the same chimpanzees. We found a potential association
between ASPM V588G genotype and cerebral ventricular volume
but not with the other measures. Additionally, we found that
chimpanzee, bonobo, and human lineages each independently
show a signature of accelerated ASPM protein evolution.
Overall, our results suggest the potential effects of ASPM
variation on cerebral cortical development, and emphasize
the need for further functional studies. These results are
the first evidence suggesting ASPM variation might play a
role in shaping natural variation in brain structure in
nonhuman primates.},
Doi = {10.1111/gbb.12582},
Key = {fds346144}
}
@article{fds346145,
Author = {Webster, T and Guevara, E and Lawler, R and Bradley,
B},
Title = {Successful exome capture and sequencing in lemurs using
human baits},
Year = {2018},
Month = {December},
Abstract = {ABSTRACT Objectives We assessed the efficacy of exome
capture in lemurs using commercially available human baits.
Materials and Methods We used two human kits (Nimblegen
SeqCap EZ Exome Probes v2.0; IDT xGen Exome Research Panel
v1.0) to capture and sequence the exomes of wild
Verreaux’s sifakas ( Propithecus verreauxi, n = 8), a
lemur species distantly related to humans. For comparison,
we also captured exomes of a primate species more closely
related to humans ( Macaca mulatta, n= 4). We mapped reads
to both the human reference assembly and the most closely
related reference for each species before calling variants.
We used measures of mapping quality and read coverage to
compare capture success. Results We observed high and
comparable mapping qualities for both species when mapped to
their respective nearest-relative reference genomes. When
investigating breadth of coverage, we found greater capture
success in macaques than sifakas using both nearest-relative
and human assemblies. Exome capture in sifakas was still
highly successful with more than 90% of annotated coding
sequence in the sifaka reference genome captured, and 80%
sequenced to a depth greater than 7x using Nimblegen baits.
However, this success depended on probe design: the use of
IDT probes resulted in substantially less callable sequence
at low-to-moderate depths. Discussion Overall, we
demonstrate successful exome capture in lemurs using human
baits, though success differed between kits tested. These
results indicate that exome capture is an effective and
economical genomic method of broad utility to evolutionary
primatologists working across the entire primate
order.},
Doi = {10.1101/490839},
Key = {fds346145}
}
@article{fds346146,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Lawler, RR},
Title = {Epigenetic Clocks.},
Journal = {Evolutionary Anthropology},
Volume = {27},
Number = {6},
Pages = {256-260},
Year = {2018},
Month = {November},
Abstract = {Recent research has revealed clock-like patterns of
epigenetic change across the life span in humans. Models
describing these epigenetic changes have been dubbed
"epigenetic clocks," and they can not only predict
chronological age but also reveal biological age, which
measures physiological homeostasis and deterioration over
the life span. Comparative studies of the epigenetic clocks
of different primate species are likely to provide insights
into the evolution of life history schedules, as well as
shed light on the physiological and genetic bases of aging
and aging-related diseases. Chronological age estimation
using clock-based calculators may also offer biological
anthropologists a useful tool for applying to forensic and
demographic studies.},
Doi = {10.1002/evan.21745},
Key = {fds346146}
}
@article{fds346308,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Frankel, DC and Ranaivonasy, J and Richard, AF and Ratsirarson, J and Lawler, RR and Bradley, BJ},
Title = {A simple, economical protocol for DNA extraction and
amplification where there is no lab},
Journal = {Conservation Genetics Resources},
Volume = {10},
Number = {1},
Pages = {119-125},
Year = {2018},
Month = {March},
Abstract = {Genetic analyses are well suited to address many research
questions in the study of wild populations, yet species of
interest often have distributions that are geographically
distant from molecular laboratories, necessitating
potentially lengthy transport of biological specimens.
Performing basic genetic analyses on site would avoid the
project delays and risks of sample quality decline
associated with transport, as well as allow original
specimens to remain in the country of origin. Further,
diagnostic genetic assays performed in the field could
provide real-time information allowing for more nimble
adjustments to research plans and use of resources. To this
end, we developed protocols for reliably performing
front-end genetics bench work in the field, without the
requirements of electricity or permanent shelter. We
validated these protocols on buccal swabs collected during
routine capturing of sifaka lemurs (Propithecus verreauxi)
at Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve in Southwest Madagascar
and faecal samples collected from captive sifakas (P.
coquereli) at the Duke Lemur Center. Our basic protocol
pipeline involves a chelating resin based DNA extraction
followed by whole genome amplification or polymerase chain
reaction using reagents stored at ambient temperature and
portable, compact equipment powered by a lightweight solar
panel. We achieved a high success rate (CloseSPigtSPi80%) in
downstream procedures, demonstrating the promise of such
protocols for performing basic genetic analyses in a broad
range of field situations.},
Doi = {10.1007/s12686-017-0758-5},
Key = {fds346308}
}
@article{fds346147,
Author = {Staes, N and Sherwood, CC and Wright, K and de Manuel, M and Guevara,
EE and Marques-Bonet, T and Krützen, M and Massiah, M and Hopkins, WD and Ely, JJ and Bradley, BJ},
Title = {FOXP2 variation in great ape populations offers insight into
the evolution of communication skills.},
Journal = {Scientific Reports},
Volume = {7},
Number = {1},
Pages = {16866},
Year = {2017},
Month = {December},
Abstract = {The gene coding for the forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2) is
associated with human language disorders. Evolutionary
changes in this gene are hypothesized to have contributed to
the emergence of speech and language in the human lineage.
Although FOXP2 is highly conserved across most mammals,
humans differ at two functional amino acid substitutions
from chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas, with an additional
fixed substitution found in orangutans. However, FOXP2 has
been characterized in only a small number of apes and no
publication to date has examined the degree of natural
variation in large samples of unrelated great apes. Here, we
analyzed the genetic variation in the FOXP2 coding sequence
in 63 chimpanzees, 11 bonobos, 48 gorillas, 37 orangutans
and 2 gibbons and observed undescribed variation in great
apes. We identified two variable polyglutamine
microsatellites in chimpanzees and orangutans and found
three nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms, one in
chimpanzees, one in gorillas and one in orangutans with
derived allele frequencies of 0.01, 0.26 and 0.29,
respectively. Structural and functional protein modeling
indicate a biochemical effect of the substitution in
orangutans, and because of its presence solely in the
Sumatran orangutan species, the mutation may be associated
with reported population differences in vocalizations.},
Doi = {10.1038/s41598-017-16844-x},
Key = {fds346147}
}
@article{fds346148,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Chen-Kraus, C and Jacobs, RL and Baden,
AL},
Title = {Celebrating fifty years of research at the Duke Lemur
Center.},
Journal = {Evolutionary Anthropology},
Volume = {26},
Number = {2},
Pages = {47-48},
Year = {2017},
Month = {April},
Doi = {10.1002/evan.21521},
Key = {fds346148}
}
@article{fds346149,
Author = {Bradley, BJ and Snowdon, CT and McGrew, WC and Lawler, RR and Guevara,
EE and McIntosh, A and O'Connor, T},
Title = {Non-human primates avoid the detrimental effects of prenatal
androgen exposure in mixed-sex litters: combined
demographic, behavioral, and genetic analyses.},
Journal = {American Journal of Primatology},
Volume = {78},
Number = {12},
Pages = {1304-1315},
Year = {2016},
Month = {December},
Abstract = {Producing single versus multiple births has important life
history trade-offs, including the potential benefits and
risks of sharing a common in utero environment. Sex hormones
can diffuse through amniotic fluid and fetal membranes, and
females with male littermates risk exposure to high levels
of fetal testosterone, which are shown to have masculinizing
effects and negative fitness consequences in many mammals.
Whereas most primates give birth to single offspring,
several New World monkey and strepsirrhine species regularly
give birth to small litters. We examined whether neonatal
testosterone exposure might be detrimental to females in
mixed-sex litters by compiling data from long-term breeding
records for seven primate species (Saguinus oedipus; Varecia
variegata, Varecia rubra, Microcebus murinis, Mirza
coquereli, Cheirogaleus medius, Galago moholi). Litter sex
ratios did not differ from the expected 1:2:1 (MM:MF:FF for
twins) and 1:2:2:1 (MMM:MMF:MFF:FFF for triplets). Measures
of reproductive success, including female survivorship,
offspring-survivorship, and inter-birth interval, did not
differ between females born in mixed-sex versus all-female
litters, indicating that litter-producing non-human
primates, unlike humans and rodents, show no signs of
detrimental effects from androgen exposure in mixed sex
litters. Although we found no evidence for CYP19A1 gene
duplications-a hypothesized mechanism for coping with
androgen exposure-aromatase protein evolution shows patterns
of convergence among litter-producing taxa. That some
primates have effectively found a way to circumvent a major
cost of multiple births has implications for understanding
variation in litter size and life history strategies across
mammals.},
Doi = {10.1002/ajp.22583},
Key = {fds346149}
}
@article{fds346150,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Veilleux, CC and Saltonstall, K and Caccone, A and Mundy, NI and Bradley, BJ},
Title = {Potential arms race in the coevolution of primates and
angiosperms: brazzein sweet proteins and gorilla taste
receptors.},
Journal = {American Journal of Physical Anthropology},
Volume = {161},
Number = {1},
Pages = {181-185},
Year = {2016},
Month = {September},
Abstract = {<h4>Objectives</h4>We explored whether variation in the
sweet taste receptor protein T1R3 in primates could
contribute to differences in sweet taste repertoire among
species, potentially reflecting coevolution with local
plants. Specifically, we examined which primates are likely
to be sweet "tasters" of brazzein, a protein found in the
fruit of the African plant Pentadiplandra brazzeana that
tastes intensely sweet to humans, but provides little
energy. Sweet proteins like brazzein are thought to mimic
the taste of sugars to entice seed dispersers. We examined
the evolution of T1R3 and assessed whether primates are
likely "deceived" by such biochemical mimicry.<h4>Methods</h4>Using
published and new sequence data for TAS1R3, we characterized
57 primates and other mammals at the two amino acid sites
necessary to taste brazzein to determine which species are
tasters. We further used dN/dS-based methods to look for
statistical evidence of accelerated evolution in this
protein across primate lineages.<h4>Results</h4>The taster
genotype is shared across most catarrhines, suggesting that
most African primates can be "tricked" into eating and
dispersing P. brazzeana's seeds for little caloric gain.
Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), however, exhibit derived
mutations at the two brazzein-critical positions, and
although fruit is a substantial portion of the western
gorilla diet, they have not been observed to eat P.
brazzeana. Our analyses of protein evolution found no
signature of positive selection on TAS1R3 along the gorilla
lineage.<h4>Discussion</h4>We propose that the
gorilla-specific mutations at the TAS1R3 locus encoding T1R3
could be a counter-adaptation to the false sweet signal of
brazzein.},
Doi = {10.1002/ajpa.23046},
Key = {fds346150}
}
@article{fds346151,
Author = {Perlman, RF and Nishimura, AC and Mongle, CS and Kling, K and Guevara,
EE and Arslanian, K},
Title = {Life's a peach for anthropologists in atlanta.},
Journal = {Evolutionary Anthropology},
Volume = {25},
Number = {3},
Pages = {81-83},
Year = {2016},
Month = {May},
Doi = {10.1002/evan.21493},
Key = {fds346151}
}
@article{fds346152,
Author = {Perlman, RF and de Vries, D and Jacobs, RL and Holowka, NB and Pain, EL and Guevara, EE and Thompson, NE},
Title = {The gateway to anthropology in St. Louis.},
Journal = {Evolutionary Anthropology},
Volume = {24},
Number = {3},
Pages = {101-103},
Year = {2015},
Month = {May},
Doi = {10.1002/evan.21450},
Key = {fds346152}
}
@article{fds346153,
Author = {Guevara, EE and Steiper, ME},
Title = {Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Papionina using
concatenation and species tree methods.},
Journal = {Journal of Human Evolution},
Volume = {66},
Pages = {18-28},
Year = {2014},
Month = {January},
Abstract = {The Papionina is a geographically widespread subtribe of
African cercopithecid monkeys whose evolutionary history is
of particular interest to anthropologists. The phylogenetic
relationships among arboreal mangabeys (Lophocebus), baboons
(Papio), and geladas (Theropithecus) remain unresolved.
Molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed marked gene
tree incongruence for these taxa, and several recent
concatenated phylogenetic analyses of multilocus datasets
have supported different phylogenetic hypotheses. To address
this issue, we investigated the phylogeny of the
Lophocebus + Papio + Theropithecus group using
concatenation methods, as well as alternative methods that
incorporate gene tree heterogeneity to estimate a 'species
tree.' Our compiled DNA sequence dataset was ∼56 kb pairs
long and included 57 independent partitions. All analyses of
concatenated alignments strongly supported a
Lophocebus + Papio clade and a basal position for
Theropithecus. The Bayesian concordance analysis supported
the same phylogeny. A coalescent-based Bayesian method
resulted in a very poorly resolved species tree. The
topological agreement between concatenation and the Bayesian
concordance analysis offers considerable support for a
Lophocebus + Papio clade as the dominant relationship
across the genome. However, the results of the Bayesian
concordance analysis indicate that almost half the genome
has an alternative history. As such, our results offer a
well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis for the
Papio/Lophocebus/Theropithecus trichotomy, while at the same
time providing evidence for a complex evolutionary history
that likely includes hybridization among
lineages.},
Doi = {10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.09.003},
Key = {fds346153}
}
%% Papers Presented/Symposia/Abstracts
@article{fds346154,
Author = {Guevara, EEG and Steiper, ME},
Title = {Analysis of multi-locus sequence data indicates complex
speciation in the evolutionary history of the
Papionina},
Journal = {American Journal of Physical Anthropology},
Volume = {150},
Pages = {139-140},
Publisher = {WILEY-BLACKWELL},
Year = {2013},
Month = {January},
Key = {fds346154}
}