CBMR is part of a large Inuit study published in Science magazine

Professor Torben Hansen, co-PI on the project and Assistant Professor Niels Grarup participated in a study of genetic determinant for adaption to cold and high-fat diet in Greenlandic Inuit. The results of this study appeared in the Sept. 18 issue of Science.

The study, which includes genetic information from 4,500 Greenlanders, was conducted by researchers from Denmark, USA, and Britain and investigated the genetic evolution of Greenlanders over the past 20,000 years.

By comparing the DNA of Greenlanders with DNA from Europeans and the Chinese Han population, the Greenlanders’ nearest East Asian relatives, the study discovered that a few gene variants have changed dramatically in frequency in the Inuit population compared to the other populations. Such changes must likely be the result of genetic adaptation via natural selection.

The researchers detected that the most significant changed gene variants were involved in omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism.

By studying the concentration of fatty acids in the cell membranes of Greenlanders, the researchers found out that the genetic changes allow the Greenlandic Inuit to compensate for their traditionally high intake of certain omega-3 fatty acids from fish.

A third, and very interesting, observation the researchers made was that one of the genetic changes, a specific mutation, had a large effect on height as well.

“We were able to see that the mutation has a significant effect on the height of Greenlanders. In previous studies on the height of Europeans the effect of this particular mutation has not been discovered,” says Professor Torben Hansen. “This is because the mutation is much less common among Europeans, and therefore 50 times as many European individuals would be required to reveal the effect of the mutation. This clearly shows the advantage of studying small and historically isolated populations.”

The researchers are keen on continuing their work with Greenlanders. “In their DNA, the Greenlanders carry a vast amount of important information about both diseases and the history of human evolution, which makes the Greenlanders a truly valuable source of new knowledge,” concludes Professor Hansen.

The project is the result of the collaboration between the researchers from:
• Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research
• Research groups from the Department of Biology at the University of Copenhagen
• University of California, Berkeley
• University College London
• Steno Diabetes Center
• University of Southern Denmark

The project is founded by the Center as well as by a project grant and YDUN grant from the Danish Council for Independent Research.

Read more about the findings in UCPH press release or read the whole article in the Sept. 18 issue of Science.

Topics