Human Genome Diversity
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 on health and disease.
Research Lines
Demographic genetic 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 genetic 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 genomewide analysis of North African groups allows us to 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 2019-20
PhD students: André Flores-Bello, Simone Biagini, Neus Font-Porterias, Marcel Lucas-Sánchez, Jose Serradell
Postdocs: Erica Bianco, André Flores-Bello
Technicians: Mònica Vallés
Selected Publications
Lorente-Galdos B, Lao O, Serra-Vidal G, Santpere G, Kuderna LFK, Arauna LR, Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Pimenoff VN, Soodyall H, Zalloua P, Marques-Bonet T, Comas D (2019) Whole-genome sequence analysis of a Pan African set of samples reveals archaic gene flow from an extinct basal population of modern humans into sub-Saharan populations. Genome Biology 20:77. doi: 10.1186/s13059-019-1684-5. PMID: 31023378
Font-Porterias, Arauna LR, Poveda A, Bianco E, Rebato E, Prata MJ, Calafell F, Comas D (2019) European Roma groups show complex West Eurasian admixture footprints and a common South Asian genetic origin. PLoS Genetics 15(9): e1008417. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008417. PMID: 31545809
Serra-Vidal G, Lucas-Sanchez M, Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Bekada A, Zalloua P, Comas D (2019) Heterogeneity in Palaeolithic population continuity and Neolithic expansion in North Africa. Current Biology 29:3953-3959. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.050. PMID: 31679935
Castro e Silva MA, Nunes K, Lemes RB, Mas-Sandoval A, Amorim CEG, Krieger JE, Mill JG, Salzano MS, Bortolini MC, da Costa Pereira A, Comas D, Hünemeier T (2020) Genomic insight into the origins and dispersal of the Brazilian coastal natives. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 117 (5) 2372-2377. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1909075117. PMID: 31932419
Bianco E, Laval G, Font-Porterias N, García-Fernández C, Dobon B, Sabido-Vera R, Sukarova Stefanovska E, Kučinskas V, Makukh H, Pamjav H, Quintana-Murci L, Netea MG, Bertranpetit J, Calafell F, Comas D (2020) Recent Common Origin, Reduced Population Size, and Marked Admixture Have Shaped European Roma Genomes. Mol Biol Evol;37(11):3175-87. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaa156. PMID: 32589725
Other relevant information
Invitations as a keynote speaker
∙ Comas D
Insights into the genetic structure of the Iberian populations, including Roma
Meeting : Genetics of the XXI century
Moscow, Russia, May 2019
∙ Comas D
Dissecting the genomic landscape of North African human populations
Meeting : Centenary of human population genetics
Moscow, Russia, May 2019
∙ Comas D
Genetic landscape of North Africa
Meeting : Peopling history of Africa: a multidisciplinary perspective
Geneve, Switzerland, June 2019
Invited lecture