Research labs
Human Genome Diversity lab
As its name reveals, the interests of this lab’s research are focused on the analysis of the human genome diversity with the aim of inferring the genomic and population processes that are responsible for this diversity, and outlining the population and epidemiological consequences of the human genetic variability. Its main research lines are, therefore, not only connected with human genome diversity, but also with population genetics, genome variation and disease susceptibility, and genome evolution and disease.
Principal investigator: David Comas
Members of the lab: Erica Bianco, Postdoctoral Researcher; Rodrigo Secolin, Postdoctoral Researcher; Lara Rubio Arauna, PhD Student; Neus Solé, PhD Student; Gerard Serra, PhD Student; Alex Mas, PhD Student; Simone Biagini, PhD Student; Carla García; PhD Student; André Flores, PhD Student, and Neus Font-Porterias, Master Student
Congresses organised: Symposium «Genomics in Anthropology: new challenges and opportunities», held in Barcelona on 12 July, co-organised by David Comas
Oral presentations and talks given: 2
Main publications and other research activities:
Arauna LR, Mendoza-Revilla J, Mas-Sandoval A, Izaabel H, Bekada A, Benhamamouch S, Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Zalloua P, Hellenthal G, Comas D (2017) Recent historical migrations have shaped the gene pool of Arabs and Berbers in North Africa. Molecular Biology and Evolution 34:318-329
Amorim CEG, Nunes K, Meyer D, Comas D, Bortolini MC, Salzano FM, Hünemeier T (2017) Genetic signature of natural selection in first Americans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 114:2195-2199
Casals F, Anglada R, Bonet N, Rasal R, van der Gaag KJ, Hoogenboom J, Solé-Morata N, Comas D, Calafell F (2017) Length and repeat-sequence variation in 58 STRs and 94 SNPs in two Spanish populations. Forensic Science International: Genetics 30:66-70
Franco-Jarava C, Comas D, Orren A, Hernández-González M, Colobrán R (2017) Complement factor 5 (C5) p.A252T mutation is prevalent in, but not restricted to, Sub-Saharan Africa: implications for the susceptibility to meningococcal disease. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 189(2):226-231
Reales G, Rovaris DL, Jacovas VC, Hünemeier T, Sandoval JR, Salazar-Granara A, Demarchi DA, Tarazona-Santos E, Felkl AB, Serafini MA, Salzano FM, Bisso-Machado R, Comas D, Paixao-Cortes VR, Bortolini MC (2017) A tale of agriculturalists and hunter-gatherers: exploring the thrifty genotype hypothesis in native South Americans. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 163: 591-601
Solé-Morata N, García-Fernández C, Urasin V, Bekada A, Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Zalloua P, Comas D, Calafell F (2017) Whole Y-chromosome sequences reveal an extremely recent origin of the most common North African paternal lineage E-M183(M81). Scientific Reports 7: 15941
Pimenta J, Lopes AM, Comas D, Amorim A, Arenas M (2017) Evaluating the Neolithic expansion at both shores of the Mediterranean. Molecular Biology and Evolution 34: 3232-3242
Main outreach activities:
Open Day PRBB, Barcelona, 7 October 2017
BIOJUNIOR, Barcelona, 28 April 2017
Funding (active projects in 2017 only):
Name of the project | Genetic variation in South Amerindians: signal of environmental adaptation? (I-COOPA20099) |
Principal investigator | David Comas |
Funding institution | Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad |
Name of the project | Population genomics and the demographic history of the Roma (CGL2016-75389-P) |
Principal investigator | David Comas and Francesc Calafell |
Funding institution | Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad |
More information: Human Genome Diversity lab’s website