Some People Carry a Neanderthal Growth Hormone Receptor That Is Linked to Greater Muscle Mass
The variant is linked to about 0.3 centimeters more height and 0.25 kilograms more muscle mass in more than 1.1 million adults, researchers said.
- Researchers identified a Neanderthal gene variant affecting growth hormone receptors in modern humans, published today in Current Biology. The inherited trait influences muscle mass and physical differences across populations.
- Evolutionary anthropologist Hugo Zeberg of the Karolinska Institute and Philipp Kanis of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology identified the variant, which entered modern human genomes through interbreeding around 47,000 years ago.
- Lab experiments showed cells with the Neanderthal receptor grew 40 percent larger than standard cells. Data from over 1.1 million adults indicated carriers possessed approximately 270 grams more lean muscle mass.
- The variant is most prevalent in South Asian and East Asian populations, where up to 24 percent of people carry it. Carriers also exhibit subtle craniofacial traits including shorter lower jaws and tooth roots.
- Researchers caution the variant is only one of many genetic factors affecting body shape. "It cannot explain the Neandertal body type on its own," said Zeberg, emphasizing it does not determine overall appearance.
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16 Articles
We analyzed the effects of growth hormone receptor gene mutations inherited from Neanderthals on muscle mass and skeletal growth in modern humans. Through genomic data from 1.13 million people, we confirmed that carriers of the mutation have slightly taller height and more muscle mass, and also identified the association with physical characteristics such as jaw and tooth shape.
Inherited Neandertal gene variant increases muscle mass in modern humans
Neandertals were generally more strongly built than most people living today. Their bones show signs of large muscles, and they had characteristic features such as prominent brow ridges and relatively short tooth roots.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Joo-young = A genetic mutation in the growth hormone receptor (GHR) introduced through the interbreeding of Neanderthals and modern humans 47,000 years ago...
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