BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Tag: Difference between Humans and Other Primates

Baboons: A closer insight to understanding the Human Gut Microbiome

In a recent Northwestern University article, a new study was found that despite human’s close genetic relationship to apes, the human gut microbiome is more closely related to that of “Old World” monkeys, such as baboons than to that of apes like chimpanzees. Another article posted by Medical News Today, provided more insight on why we should specifically take a deeper look into Old world monkeys, such as baboons, to tell us more about the human microbiome. Maria Cohut, the author of the article, claims that since these baboons are closer related to humans and share 99% of their DNA with humans, they will provide clues about the human gut microbiome. 

The results also suggested that human ecology has had a stronger impact in shaping the human gut microbiome than genetic relationships. They also suggest the human gut microbiome may have unique characteristics, like an increased flexibility. In a quote by Katherine Amato,  lead author of the study and assistant professor of anthropology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern, she explains that it is essential to understand what factors shaped the human gut microbiome over evolutionary time because it can help us understand how gut microbes may have influenced adaptation and evolution in our ancestors and how they interact with our biology and health today. She also adds that host ecology is what drives microbiome function and composition, since chimpanzees have different habitats, diets, and physiology than humans. In order to understand the human gut microbiome we must look at primates that are similar to humans since ecology is the, she also adds. Although chimpanzees are often assumed to be the best module for humans in many aspects, it is evident that this close relationship doesn’t apply when comes to analyzing the gut microbiome. 

Going forward, Amato and her team are planning on exploring which qualities of the human gut microbial functions are shared with Old World monkeys and what impact they have on human biology and physiology. The results of this study demonstrate that the human gut microbiome diverges from closely genetically related apes and converges with “cercopithecines both taxonomically and functionally.” These findings provides deep insight on the evolution of microbiomes. More importantly, the results highlight the importance of human ecology and digestive physiology in shaping the gut microbiome. Intimately exploring the relationship between baboons, or other close human related mammals, could reveal more in-depth information about the human gut microbiome and how different factors of our environment affect it. 

The Difference between You and a Chimpanzee!

The largest difference between you and a chimpanzee or a monkey can be found in the brain. Despite the fact that all regions of the human brain have very similar molecular signatures to your primate relatives, a new study has found that these regions contain distinct human patterns of gene activity that mark the brain’s evolution. This new study may contribute to our cognitive abilities.

Although human brains are three times larger and have many more cells and therefore more processing power than a chimpanzee, researchers, Zhu and Sousa, have found similarities between humans and our primate relatives in gene expressions in 16 regions of the brain.  A gene similarity was even found in the prefrontal cortex, a place where higher order learning takes place that most distinguishes humans from other apes. However researchers have also found that the striatum had the most human-specific gene expression, a region most commonly associated with movement.

A surprising difference was found in the cerebellum, one of the evolutionarily most ancient regions of the brain, and therefore most likely to share similarities across species. Researches found the gene ZP2, a gene active in only the human cerebellum, which is surprising considering the same gene has been linked to sperm selection by human ova. Zhu, a postdoctoral researcher, says that they, “have no idea what it is doing there.”

Researchers Zhu and Sousa have focused on one gene, TH, which is involved in the production of dopamine. TH is a neurotransmitter crucial to higher-order function and depleted in people living with Parkinson’s disease. They found that TH was highly expressed in human neocortex and striatum but absent from the neocortex of chimpanzees.

This research could be important in finding the cure to certain diseases like Parkinson’s disease. Also would be helpful in understanding how the human mind processes higher-order actions.

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén

Skip to toolbar