Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42086559›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Rapid adaptive increase of amylase gene copy number in Indigenous Andeans.

Kendra Scheer, Luane J B Landau, Kelsey Jorgensen, Charikleia Karageorgiou, Lindsey Siao, Can Alkan, Angelis M Morales Rivera, Christopher Osborne, Obed A Garcia, Laurel Pearson and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. High-coverage ancient genomes reveal divergent population histories and prehistoric starch-related genetic variation in Japan.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Kendra Scheer *Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.ORCID 0009-0008-0413-6307
Luane J B Landau *Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4528-118X
Kelsey JorgensenDepartment of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8681-5248
Charikleia KarageorgiouDepartment of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6998-6926
Lindsey SiaoDepartment of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Can AlkanDepartment of Computer Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0002-5443-0706
Angelis M Morales RiveraDepartamento de Biología Dentro de las Ciencias Naturales, Universidad de Puerto Rico en Cayey, Cayey, Puerto Rico.
Christopher OsborneDepartment of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6387-5451
Obed A GarciaDepartment of Anthropology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6150-6118
Laurel PearsonDepartment of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA.
Melisa KiyamuLaboratorio de Fisiología del Transporte de Oxígeno y Adaptación a la Altura, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
María Rivera-ChDepartamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú.
Fabiola León-VelardeLaboratorio de Fisiología del Transporte de Oxígeno y Adaptación a la Altura, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
Frank S LeeDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2511-1834
Tom BrutsaertDepartment of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
Abigail W BighamDepartment of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. awbigham@ucla.edu.
Omer GokcumenDepartment of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA. omergokc@buffalo.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-4371-679X

Funding

Evolutionary and functional impact of common genomic structural variationsR35GM156519 · NIGMS · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · PI Omer Gokcumen · 2025 to 2026
$887k
National Science Foundation (NSF) BCS-2123284National Science Foundation (NSF) BIO-2049947NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM156519
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The salivary amylase gene AMY1 exhibits remarkable copy number variation linked to dietary shifts in human evolution. While global studies highlight its structural complexity and association with starch-rich diets, localized selection patterns remain underexplored. Here, we analyze AMY1 copy number in 3,723 individuals from 85 populations, revealing that Indigenous Peruvian Andean populations possess the highest AMY1 copy number globally. A genome-wide analysis shows significantly higher amylase copy numbers in Peruvian Andean genomes compared to closely related populations. Further, we identify positive selection (selection coefficient of 0.0124, log likelihood ratio of 11.1543) at the nucleotide level on a haplotype harboring at least five haploid AMY1 copies, with a Peruvian Andean-specific expansion dated to around 10,000 years ago, coinciding with potato domestication in the region. Using ultra-long-read sequencing, we demonstrate that previously described recombination-based mutational mechanisms drive the formation of high-copy AMY1 haplotypes observed in Andean population. Our study provides a framework for investigating structurally complex loci and their role in human dietary adaptation.

Indexed as

DNA Copy Number VariationsGene DosageSalivary alpha-AmylasesEvolution, MolecularHaplotypesHumansPeruSelection, GeneticAMY1A protein, humanSalivary alpha-Amylases

Identifiers

PMID42086559
PMCPMC13144329

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.