Population genetics articles from across Nature Portfolio

Studying germline variants and somatic mutations in cancer using omics technologies helps identify both heritable traits and molecular features of cancer genomes. Population-specific cancer genomics can reduce disparities and ensure equity across racial and ethnic groups for personalized medicine and public health approaches.

The first genome and continent-wide study of Leishmania braziliensis across South America reveals eco-epidemiologically distinct genetic groups in the Amazon and Atlantic Forests, offering new insights into the pathogen’s evolutionary history.

Genomic analyses, performed by Carey-Ewend et al., reveal that Plasmodium ovale curtisi and wallikeri in sub-Saharan Africa show similar low complexity of infection, relatedness by geography, and signatures of selection. However, P. ovale wallikeri harbors lower nucleotide diversity.

High-throughput molecular genotyping tools have been used for genomic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum but tools available for P. vivax are limited. Here, the authors develop a molecular inversion probe panel for P. vivax and use it to characterise the molecular epidemiology of samples from the Peruvian Amazon Basin.

The Australian bearded dragon is so called for its distinctive ‘beard’ of spiky scales that can darken and expand during social and defensive displays. This lizard has become a reptilian model system to study the evolution, function and dynamics of neurons and neural circuits (including during sleep) in the amniote brain.

Abderrahman Khila highlights an important 2015 paper by Barson et al. that demonstrated how sexual conflict in Atlantic salmon affects genetic evolution.

Lingzhao Fang recalls how a 2002 paper by Brem et al., which investigated the genetic basis of natural variation in gene expression in budding yeast, and the GTEx atlas of genetic regulatory effects across human tissues inspired the FarmGTEx project to accelerate precision agriculture.

To understand the genetic basis of disease, it is essential to study diverse populations. We conducted the largest study to date of African men to evaluate the evolutionary genetics and causes of prostate cancer. Our findings reveal novel genetic associations, including those that were not observed in studies of non-African populations.

Bolognini et al. report evidence of positive selection for human amylase gene duplications associated with the agricultural revolution.