David Comas

Group website

Research Outline

Our group is focused on the analysis of the human genome and that of our closest related species in order to understand the processes that have modelled the extant genetic diversity of humans. We are interested in unravelling the demographic and adaptive processes that have given rise to the genetic composition of human populations and their consequences in health and disease.

 

Research Lines

  • Demographic history of European populations

The project aims to detect differential migrations and genetic composition of some European populations, with a focus on isolated groups and ethnic minorities, such as Basques and Roma (aka Gypsies).

 

  • Migrations and adaptations in North African populations

The complex human population landscape of North Africa is the result of an amalgam of migrations in the region. The genowide analysis of North African groups allows us date the sequential migrations in the area since Paleolithic times until historical movements, which explain the extant genomic pattern of North Africa.

 

  • Genomic consequences of demographic events

Demographic events leave a footprint in the genetic pool of human groups. The analysis of the genetic diversity in specific groups that have suffered from known demographic events, such as admixture and bottlenecks, allows us to detect genomic variants related to those events, which can be related to health and disease traits.

 

Team during 2017-18

  • Postdocs: Erica Bianco.
  • PhD students: Lara R Arauna, Simone Biagini, André Flores-Bello, Neus Font-Porterias, Àlex Mas-Sandoval, Gerard Serra-Vidal, Neus Solé-Morata.
  • Technicians: Mònica Vallés.
  • Project manager: Judit Sainz.
  • Research visits:
    • Rodrigo Secolin (Postdoc, University of Campinas, Brazil).​
    • Joao Pimenta (PhD, University of Porto, Portugal).​
    • Vanessa Jacobas (PhD, Federal University of Porto Alegre, Brazil).​

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​​Selected Publications 2017-18

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Flores-Bello A, Mas-Ponte D, Rosu ME, Bosch E, Calafell F, Comas D (2018) Sequence diversity of the Rh blood group system in Basques. European Journal of Human Genetics 26:1859-1866.

 

Other relevant information 2017-18

Invitation as keynote speaker

Insights into the genome-wide diversity of human populations.
2017 Brazilian-International Congress of Genetics.
Aguas de Lindoia, Brazil, September 2017.

 

Population demography and human genetic variability.
5th Workshop of the Brazilian Initiative on Precision Medicine.
Campinas, Brazil, April 2018.