Reply to Liu and Jiang: Maintenance of postreproductive cognitive capacity by inclusive fitness.
Reply to Liu and Jiang: Maintenance of postreproductive cognitive capacity by inclusive fitness.
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回复刘和江：包容性健身维持生育后认知能力。
DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1601419113
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发表时间：
2016
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Gagneux,Pascal
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Springer,StevanA;Schwarz,Flavio;Altheide,TashaK;Varki,NissiM;Varki,Ajit;Gagneux,Pascal
我们的论文研究了影响生育后人类认知能力下降的基因，这是由神经退行性疾病和心血管疾病引起的（1）。在这些多态性基因中，我们发现了许多保护性等位基因，它们来自人类谱系，并且是人类谱系所特有的。Liu和Jiang（2）补充了一个重要的观察结果，即这些基因座在生命早期的潜在影响。来自三项研究的数据表明，这些基因不会影响儿童时期（3）或一般人群（4，5）的认知表现。我们的论文（1）没有涉及早期表型，因为早期认知功能的建立和对晚期退化的保护不需要涉及相同的机制。然而，Liu和Jiang（2）的研究结果表明，许多保护老年人认知的等位基因对早期认知没有强烈的影响。这一观察结果支持了繁殖后认知保护可能是由包容性适应性进化而来的假设，这些等位基因在老年人中的保护作用是毋庸置疑的。正如Liu和Jiang（2）所提到的，CD33 rs3865444与阿尔茨海默病的相关性已被多项独立研究证实（6）。我们认为，这些保护性表型甚至可以在繁殖结束后进化，因为老年人仍然影响年轻人的健康。认知完整的老年人是更好的照顾者，更可靠地传递知识和文化信息，并且不太容易采取昂贵的行为或长期丧失能力，这可能会给他们的社会群体带来负担。如果保护老年人认知功能的等位基因是通过包容性健身来维持的，那么我们不一定期望在生命早期产生强烈的影响。的确，
Our paper examines genes influencing cognitive decline in postreproductive humans, which arises from neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease (1). Among these polymorphic genes, we found many protective alleles that are derived from and are unique to the human lineage. Liu and Jiang (2) add an important observation about potential effects of some of these loci earlier in life. Data from three studies indicate that these genes do not influence cognitive performance during childhood (3) or in the general population (4, 5). Our paper (1) does not address early phenotypes, as the establishment of early cognitive function and protection against late degeneration need not involve the same mechanisms. However, Liu and Jiang’s (2) findings suggest that many alleles protecting cognition in elders have no strong effects on early cognition. This observation supports the hypothesis that postreproductive cognitive protection may have evolved by inclusive fitness.The protective effects of these alleles in the elderly are not in question. As Liu and Jiang (2) mention, the association of CD33 rs3865444 with Alzheimer’s has been confirmed by multiple independent studies (6). We propose that these protective phenotypes can evolve even after reproduction ends, because elders still influence fitness of younger individuals. Cognitively intact elders are better caregivers, transmit knowledge and cultural information more reliably, and are less prone to costly behaviors or prolonged incapacitation that could burden their social groups. If alleles protecting cognitive function in the elderly are maintained by inclusive fitness, then we do not necessarily expect strong effects early in life. Indeed,