藏族生物人类学研究回顾

藏族生活在具有世界屋脊之称的青藏高原,特殊的生态环境和特殊的文化背景造就了藏族特殊的适应高原缺氧机制和体质特征,引起了国内外学者的广泛关注和浓厚的研究兴趣。本文从国内外数据库收集了492篇国内外杂志发表的关于藏族人类学研究方面的论文。通过统计、分析并结合我们的工作,初步回顾了30年藏族人类学研究,重点分析了藏族与汉族的族源关系。这些文献显示,从体质特征、血型、分子生物学和考古材料等方面都证明藏族是中华民族大家庭中不可缺少的的一员。本文最后展望了藏族生物人类学今后的发展。     

卫藏藏族与康巴藏族的Heath-Carter法体型

运用Heath-Carter人体测量法,对云南省迪庆400例康巴藏族成人和西藏林芝507例卫藏藏族成人进行了体型研究。卫藏藏族男性(5.0-6.2-1.1)和康巴藏族男性(4.4-5.1-1.6)均为偏内胚层的中胚层体型。卫藏藏族女性(5.7-6.1-0.8)和康巴藏族女性(5.6-5.7-1.1)均为内胚层-中胚层均衡型体型。总体上看,卫藏藏族和康巴藏族体型具有一致性,也存在差异。卫藏藏族男、女性和康巴藏族男、女性都属于身体线性度低,骨骼、肌肉发达,体脂丰满的体型。卫藏藏族男性、女性比康巴藏族男性、女性的脂肪更多一些,肌肉、骨骼更发达一些,体态更丰满一些。本文从藏族族源的形成以及生活环境的视角,探讨了同为藏族的卫藏与康巴藏族之间体型的异同,和同为生活在高海拔族群间体型差异产生的原因。研究结果提示藏族具有中国北方民族的体型特征。藏族的多脂肪,骨骼肌肉发达,身体粗壮的体型特征也是对高原环境的适应。     

高原鼠兔低氧适应分子机制的研究进展

高原鼠兔（Ochotona curzoniae）是生活在青藏高原海拔3000-5000m地区的特有物种,具有极强的低温、低氧耐受能力。近十几年来,许多国内外学者从整体水平及分子水平对高原鼠兔的低氧适应机制进行了大量研究,认为该动物是研究低氧适应的理想动物模型。本文对高原鼠兔的低氧适应机制从血液学特征、肺血管的结构和功能及分子生物学研究等方面作一系统阐述,旨在阐明高原土生动物在高寒缺氧环境中生存的适应机制,这对人类适应高原及高原疾病的防治有着重要的指导意义。     

中国西南地区藏族人群遗传亚结构研究

藏族为中国西南地区典型的少数民族,分为卫藏、康巴、安多和嘉绒等多个支系。然而,对藏族支系人群的遗传结构,特别是各分支人群的父系、母系遗传结构却缺乏深度解析。本研究基于个体水平的常染色体、父系来源的Y染色体和母系来源的线粒体3个类别遗传信息,对西藏地区卫藏藏族、四川甘孜地区康巴藏族、青海地区安多藏族和四川阿坝地区嘉绒藏族共4个藏族群体进行研究,以揭示其遗传亚结构关系。采用微测序技术检测各位点分型,利用PowerPlex~?Y23和DNATyper~(TM)Y26试剂盒检测Y-STRs基因座分型,通过热图和主成分分析、祖先成分分析、单倍群频率统计、网络图及多维尺度分析等探讨其遗传亚结构。结果表明,常染色体和Y染色体遗传标记可将4个藏族人群分为3类:青藏高原的卫藏藏族为一类,高原周边地区的康巴藏族和安多藏族的遗传结构类似分为一类,"藏彝走廊"中嘉绒藏族的遗传结构与其他藏族人群差异显著而为一类。不同藏族分支人群在线粒体遗传信息方面无明显差异性。上述多类别遗传信息的分析结果为深入了解藏族不同分支人群的遗传亚结构提供了新视角。     

缺氧对世居高原藏族人脐静脉内皮细胞ET和NO水平的影响

目的: 观察世居高原藏族人静脉血ET和NO含量和缺氧对培养脐静脉内皮细胞ET和NO水平的影响,以期从胎儿生长发育的角度探讨人类高原适应的机制.方法: 分别以放射免疫分析法和Greiss法测定世居高原藏族、移居高原汉族和平原汉族人静脉血ET和NO含量.体外培养世居高原藏族和移居高原汉族新生儿UVECs,分为4组:①世居高原藏族人UVECs常氧组(TC);②世居高原藏族人UVECs缺氧组(TH);③移居高原汉族人UVECs常氧组(HC);④移居高原汉族人UVECs缺氧组(HH),收集培养上清液测定ET和NO含量.结果: 世居高原藏族人静脉血NO水平显著高于移居高原汉族人,而ET水平显著低于移居高原汉族人.体外低氧(0.5% O2)条件培养12 h和24 h时,TH组ET浓度显著低于HH组,而HH组与TH组和HC组与TC组相应时间点之间的NO浓度差异无显著性意义.结论: 缺氧时世居高原藏族人UVECs ET分泌增高的程度较低,可能有助于保持相对低的血管张力,有利于胎儿血液供应.     

高原鼢鼠(Myospalax baileyi) 不同地理种群的形态变异

本文采用主成分分析和聚类分析两种方法,分析了高原鼢鼠(Myospalax baileyi)12 个地理种群17 项形态特征的变异。主成分分析结果显示,分析构建的雄性前3 个主成分累积贡献率为78.483% ,而雌性前4 个主成分累积贡献率为79.587% 。对种群间形态差异分析贡献最大的指标为颅全长、基长、后头宽等反映头骨大小性状,以及顶嵴、额嵴最小间距体现的颧弓扩张程度指标。主成分分析结果与聚类分析结果一致,12 个地理种群分化构成两个大的地域性群体:一个由甘肃种群构成的甘肃群体;另一个由四川种群和青海种群构成的混合群体。两个地域性群体实际上反映出两个不同的分化方向:一个方向表现为头骨较小,顶嵴、额嵴相对分开即颧弓扩张程度小,如甘肃群体;另一个则表现为头骨较大,顶嵴、额嵴相对靠拢即颧弓扩张程度大,如混合群体。这种地域群体的形态变异可以解释为,地下洞道系统中环境因子选择作用对高原鼢鼠形态变化产生了重要影响。     

高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔红细胞低氧适应特征

为探讨高原鼢鼠对低氧高二氧化碳洞道生境及高原鼠兔对高海拔低氧生境的适应机制,用Sysmex SF-3000血细胞分析仪及聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳对两种高原动物的血常规及血红蛋白类型进行分析,后者采用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳法。结果表明,高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔的红细胞数(RBC)、红细胞压积(HCT)及平均红细胞容积(MCV)组间无显著差异(P>0.05),但高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔的红细胞数显著高于SD大鼠,红细胞压积及平均红细胞容积均显著低于SD大鼠(P<0.05);高原鼢鼠的血红蛋白浓度(HBC)与SD大鼠无显著差异(P>0.05),但显著高于高原鼠兔的HBC(P<0.05)。高原鼢鼠血红蛋白主要有2种类型,高原鼠兔血红蛋白主要有3种类型,而SD大鼠血红蛋白主要有5种类型。从血红蛋白电泳迁移来看,2种高原动物血红蛋白类型有明显的趋同特征并与SD大鼠具有明显的差异。上述结果提示,长期适应高海拔低氧环境的高原动物的红细胞和血红蛋白表现出趋同进化,同时因生境和习性的差异又表现出各自的特异性。     

高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔肺细叶的结构特征

高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔是青藏高原土著动物,对低氧具有很好的适应性.为了探讨在低氧环境中两者肺细叶结构的适应特征,应用体视学方法测量了肺细叶相关指标.结果发现 :高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔肺单位面积肺泡数显著高于SD大鼠,单个肺泡面积和弹性纤维/肺实质比显著低于SD大鼠;高原鼢鼠肺泡隔厚度最厚,高原鼠兔最薄,且三种动物具显著差异; 高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔气-血屏障的算术平均厚度(Ta)和调和平均厚度(Th) 均显著低于SD 大鼠;在三个级别的微血管中,高原鼠兔中膜肌层厚度显著低于高原鼢鼠,两种高原动物均显著低于SD大鼠;高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔的微血管密度(MVD)显著高于SD大鼠.以上结果表明,高原鼢鼠和高原鼠兔肺细叶结构特征表现出一定趋同,这些特征有利于在低氧条件下提高肺气体扩散容量;但是,肺泡隔厚度和微血管中膜肌层厚度/血管外径比又表现出明显的差异,可能是不同生境造成的[动物学报 54(3):531-539,2008].     

慢性缺氧时心肌血流量的变化及一氧化氮和内皮素—1的调节作用

近年来国内外研究表明急性缺氧时心肌血流量明显增加 ,而慢性缺氧对心肌血流量的影响及其发生机制 ,目前国内外研究甚少 ,且结果不甚相同 ,因此探讨缺氧时心肌血流量的变化及其发生机制 ,对于评估缺氧时心肌供血状态 ,了解心脏高原适应具有理论和实际意义。因此 ,本文观察了慢性间断缺氧大鼠的心肌血流量、血浆、心肌组织ＮＯ(ｎｉｔｒｉｃｏｘｉｄｅ ,ＮＯ)和ＥＴ 1(ｅｎ ｄｏｔｈｅｌｉｎ 1,ＥＴ 1)的含量 ,以期探讨ＮＯ、ＥＴ 1改变、红细胞增多与心肌血流量变化的关系。1　材料和方法(1)实验动物　健康ｗｉｓｔａｒ成年大鼠 6 9只 ,雌雄…     

地下啮齿动物视觉系统的形态结构与机能进化

感觉系统的适应进化机制一直是动物行为学研究的焦点。生活在特殊环境中的动物,其感觉系统在进化过程中表现出的显著差异更是引人注目。由于适应地下黑暗生活环境,地下啮齿动物感觉系统在各个组织水平都表现出进化和退化镶嵌的形态特征,其视觉系统表现得最为突出：视觉器官退化,有关图象分析结构、由视觉诱导产生行为反应的脑区及视觉投射严重退化,有关感受光周期的“非成像” 视觉通路结构高度发达。本文综述了地下啮齿动物视觉系统的结构、功能、进化与发育等方面的研究进展,旨在阐明地下啮齿动物视觉系统的特点,有助于开展地下啮齿动物视觉系统适应进化机制的研究。     

On the origin of Tibetans and their genetic basis in adapting high-altitude environments

Since their arrival in the Tibetan Plateau during the Neolithic Age, Tibetans have been well-adapted to extreme environmental conditions and possess genetic variation that reflect their living environment and migratory history. To investigate the origin of Tibetans and the genetic basis of adaptation in a rigorous environment, we genotyped 30 Tibetan individuals with more than one million SNP markers. Our findings suggested that Tibetans, together with the Yi people, were descendants of Tibeto-Burmans who diverged from ancient settlers of East Asia. The valleys of the Hengduan Mountain range may be a major migration route. We also identified a set of positively-selected genes that belong to functional classes of the embryonic, female gonad, and blood vessel developments, as well as response to hypoxia. Most of these genes were highly correlated with population-specific and beneficial phenotypes, such as high infant survival rate and the absence of chronic mountain sickness.     

GCH1 plays a role in the high-altitude adaptation of Tibetans

Tibetans are well adapted to high-altitude hypoxia.Previous genome-wide scans have reported many candidate genes for this adaptation,but only a few have been studied.Here we report on a hypoxia gene (GCH1,GTP-cyclohydrolase I),involved in maintaining nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) function and normal blood pressure,that harbors many potentially adaptive variants in Tibetans.We resequenced an 80.8 kb fragment covering the entire gene region of GCH1 in 50 unrelated Tibetans.Combined with previously published data,we demonstrated many GCH1 variants showing deep divergence between highlander Tibetans and lowlander Han Chinese.Neutrality tests confirmed a signal of positive Darwinian selection on GCH1 in Tibetans.Moreover,association analysis indicated that the Tibetan version of GCH1 was significantly associated with multiple physiological traits in Tibetans,including blood nitric oxide concentration,blood oxygen saturation,and hemoglobin concentration.Taken together,we propose that GCH1 plays a role in the genetic adaptation of Tibetans to high altitude hypoxia.     

Identifying Signatures of Natural Selection in Tibetan and Andean Populations Using Dense Genome Scan Data

High-altitude hypoxia (reduced inspired oxygen tension due to decreased barometric pressure) exerts severe physiological stress on the human body. Two high-altitude regions where humans have lived for millennia are the Andean Altiplano and the Tibetan Plateau. Populations living in these regions exhibit unique circulatory, respiratory, and hematological adaptations to life at high altitude. Although these responses have been well characterized physiologically, their underlying genetic basis remains unknown. We performed a genome scan to identify genes showing evidence of adaptation to hypoxia. We looked across each chromosome to identify genomic regions with previously unknown function with respect to altitude phenotypes. In addition, groups of genes functioning in oxygen metabolism and sensing were examined to test the hypothesis that particular pathways have been involved in genetic adaptation to altitude. Applying four population genetic statistics commonly used for detecting signatures of natural selection, we identified selection-nominated candidate genes and gene regions in these two populations (Andeans and Tibetans) separately. The Tibetan and Andean patterns of genetic adaptation are largely distinct from one another, with both populations showing evidence of positive natural selection in different genes or gene regions. Interestingly, one gene previously known to be important in cellular oxygen sensing, EGLN1 (also known as PHD2), shows evidence of positive selection in both Tibetans and Andeans. However, the pattern of variation for this gene differs between the two populations. Our results indicate that several key HIF-regulatory and targeted genes are responsible for adaptation to high altitude in Andeans and Tibetans, and several different chromosomal regions are implicated in the putative response to selection. These data suggest a genetic role in high-altitude adaption and provide a basis for future genotype/phenotype association studies necessary to confirm the role of selection-nominated candidate genes and gene regions in adaptation to altitude.     

青藏高原小型哺乳动物的生理生态学研究：从个体到生态系统

本文回顾了青藏高原小型哺乳动物生理生态学研究取得的主要成就,包括能量代谢特征与环境适应性、适应性产热与体温调节、能量平衡与体重调节、生理极限值和种群能流估算等,总结了近年一些新兴领域的最新进展,包括双标记水方法测定能量消耗、肠道菌群的功能、地理生理学、种群生理学、植物次生代谢产物及其生理功能等。有些工作引领了中国动物生理生态学的发展,如生态能量学、适应性产热和生理适应等。本文对未来需要发展的领域和深入方面提出了建议,希望能建立青藏高原小型哺乳动物生理生态学学科体系。     

A preliminary study of copy number variation in tibetans

Genetic features of Tibetans have been broadly investigated, but the properties of copy number variation (CNV) have not been well examined. To get a preliminary view of CNV in Tibetans, we scanned 29 Tibetan genomes with the Illumina Human-1 M high-resolution genotyping microarray and identified 139 putative copy number variable regions (CNVRs), consisting of 70 deletions, 61 duplications, and 8 multi-allelic loci. Thirty-four of the 139 CNVRs showed differential allele frequencies versus other East-Asian populations, with P values <0.0001. These results indicated a distinct pattern of CNVR allele frequency distribution in Tibetans. The Tibetan CNVRs are enriched for genes in the disease class of human reproduction (such as genes from the DAZ, BPY2, CDY, and HLA-DQ and -DR gene clusters) and biological process categories of "response to DNA damage stimulus" and "DNA repair" (such as RAD51, RAD52, and MRE11A). These genes are related to the adaptive traits of high infant birth weight and darker skin tone of Tibetans, and may be attributed to recent local adaptation. Our results provide a different view of genetic diversity in Tibetans and new insights into their high-altitude adaptation.     

Tibetan and Andean patterns of adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia

Understanding the workings of the evolutionary process in contemporary humans requires linking the evolutionary history of traits with their current genetics and biology. Unusual environments provide natural experimental settings to investigate evolution and adaptation. The example of high-altitude hypoxia illustrates some of the progress and many of the remaining challenges for studies of evolution in contemporary populations. Current studies exemplify the frequently encountered problem of determining whether large, consistent population differences in mean values of a trait reflect genetic differences. In this review I describe 4 quantitative traits that provide evidence that indigenous populations of the Tibetan and Andean plateaus differ in their phenotypic adaptive responses to high-altitude hypoxia. These 4 traits are resting ventilation, hypoxic ventilatory response, oxygen saturation, and hemoglobin concentration. The Tibetan means of the first 2 traits were more than 0.5 standard deviation higher than the Aymara means, whereas the Tibetan means were more than 1 standard deviation lower than the Aymara means for the last 2 traits. Quantitative genetic analyses of within-population variance revealed significant genetic variance in all 4 traits in the Tibetan population but only in hypoxic ventilatory response and hemoglobin concentration in the Aymara population. A major gene for oxygen saturation was detected among the Tibetans. These findings are interpreted as indirect evidence of population genetic differences. It appears that the biological characteristics of sea-level humans did not constrain high-altitude colonists of the 2 plateaus to a single adaptive response. Instead, microevolutionary processes may have operated differently in the geographically separated Tibetan and Andean populations exposed to the same environmental stress. Knowledge of the genetic bases of these traits will be necessary to evaluate these inferences. Future research will likely be directed toward determining whether the population means reflect differences identified at the chromosomal level. Future research will also likely consider the biological pathways and environmental influences linking genotypes to phenotypes, the costs and benefits of the Tibetan and Andean patterns of adaptation, and the question of whether the observed phenotypes are indeed adaptations that enhance Darwinian fitness.     

Genetic variations in Tibetan populations and high-altitude adaptation at the Himalayas

Modern humans have occupied almost all possible environments globally since exiting Africa about 100,000 years ago. Both behavioral and biological adaptations have contributed to their success in surviving the rigors of climatic extremes, including cold, strong ultraviolet radiation, and high altitude. Among these environmental stresses, high-altitude hypoxia is the only condition in which traditional technology is incapable of mediating its effects. Inhabiting at >3,000-m high plateau, the Tibetan population provides a widely studied example of high-altitude adaptation. Yet, the genetic mechanisms underpinning long-term survival in this environmental extreme remain unknown. We performed an analysis of genome-wide sequence variations in Tibetans. In combination with the reported data, we identified strong signals of selective sweep in two hypoxia-related genes, EPAS1 and EGLN1. For these two genes, Tibetans show unusually high divergence from the non-Tibetan lowlanders (Han Chinese and Japanese) and possess high frequencies of many linked sequence variations as reflected by the Tibetan-specific haplotypes. Further analysis in seven Tibetan populations (1,334 individuals) indicates the prevalence of selective sweep across the Himalayan region. The observed indicators of natural selection on EPAS1 and EGLN1 suggest that during the long-term occupation of high-altitude areas, the functional sequence variations for acquiring biological adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia have been enriched in Tibetan populations.     

Population history and genomic signatures for high-altitude adaptation in Tibetan pigs

Background

The Tibetan pig is one of domestic animals indigenous to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Several geographically isolated pig populations are distributed throughout the Plateau. It remained an open question if these populations have experienced different demographic histories and have evolved independent adaptive loci for the harsh environment of the Plateau. To address these questions, we herein investigated ~ 40,000 genetic variants across the pig genome in a broad panel of 678 individuals from 5 Tibetan geographic populations and 34 lowland breeds.

Results

Using a series of population genetic analyses, we show that Tibetan pig populations have marked genetic differentiations. Tibetan pigs appear to be 3 independent populations corresponding to the Tibetan, Gansu and Sichuan & Yunnan locations. Each population is more genetically similar to its geographic neighbors than to any of the other Tibetan populations. By applying a locus-specific branch length test, we identified both population-specific and -shared candidate genes under selection in Tibetan pigs. These genes, such as PLA2G12A, RGCC, C9ORF3, GRIN2B, GRID1 and EPAS1, are involved in high-altitude physiology including angiogenesis, pulmonary hypertension, oxygen intake, defense response and erythropoiesis. A majority of these genes have not been implicated in previous studies of highlanders and high-altitude animals.

Conclusion

Tibetan pig populations have experienced substantial genetic differentiation. Historically, Tibetan pigs likely had admixture with neighboring lowland breeds. During the long history of colonization in the Plateau, Tibetan pigs have developed a complex biological adaptation mechanism that could be different from that of Tibetans and other animals. Different Tibetan pig populations appear to have both distinct and convergent adaptive loci for the harsh environment of the Plateau.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-834) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.