Skip to main content
Journal cover image

A potential role for glucose transporters in the evolution of human brain size.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Fedrigo, O; Pfefferle, AD; Babbitt, CC; Haygood, R; Wall, CE; Wray, GA
Published in: Brain, behavior and evolution
January 2011

Differences in cognitive abilities and the relatively large brain are among the most striking differences between humans and their closest primate relatives. The energy trade-off hypothesis predicts that a major shift in energy allocation among tissues occurred during human origins in order to support the remarkable expansion of a metabolically expensive brain. However, the molecular basis of this adaptive scenario is unknown. Two glucose transporters (SLC2A1 and SLC2A4) are promising candidates and present intriguing mutations in humans, resulting, respectively, in microcephaly and disruptions in whole-body glucose homeostasis. We compared SLC2A1 and SLC2A4 expression between humans, chimpanzees and macaques, and found compensatory and biologically significant expression changes on the human lineage within cerebral cortex and skeletal muscle, consistent with mediating an energy trade-off. We also show that these two genes are likely to have undergone adaptation and participated in the development and maintenance of a larger brain in the human lineage by modulating brain and skeletal muscle energy allocation. We found that these two genes show human-specific signatures of positive selection on known regulatory elements within their 5'-untranslated region, suggesting an adaptation of their regulation during human origins. This study represents the first case where adaptive, functional and genetic lines of evidence implicate specific genes in the evolution of human brain size.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Brain, behavior and evolution

DOI

EISSN

1421-9743

ISSN

0006-8977

Publication Date

January 2011

Volume

78

Issue

4

Start / End Page

315 / 326

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Sodium-Phosphate Cotransporter Proteins, Type III
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Pan troglodytes
  • Organ Size
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Macaca
  • Humans
  • Glucose Transporter Type 4
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Fedrigo, O., Pfefferle, A. D., Babbitt, C. C., Haygood, R., Wall, C. E., & Wray, G. A. (2011). A potential role for glucose transporters in the evolution of human brain size. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 78(4), 315–326. https://doi.org/10.1159/000329852
Fedrigo, Olivier, Adam D. Pfefferle, Courtney C. Babbitt, Ralph Haygood, Christine E. Wall, and Gregory A. Wray. “A potential role for glucose transporters in the evolution of human brain size.Brain, Behavior and Evolution 78, no. 4 (January 2011): 315–26. https://doi.org/10.1159/000329852.
Fedrigo O, Pfefferle AD, Babbitt CC, Haygood R, Wall CE, Wray GA. A potential role for glucose transporters in the evolution of human brain size. Brain, behavior and evolution. 2011 Jan;78(4):315–26.
Fedrigo, Olivier, et al. “A potential role for glucose transporters in the evolution of human brain size.Brain, Behavior and Evolution, vol. 78, no. 4, Jan. 2011, pp. 315–26. Epmc, doi:10.1159/000329852.
Fedrigo O, Pfefferle AD, Babbitt CC, Haygood R, Wall CE, Wray GA. A potential role for glucose transporters in the evolution of human brain size. Brain, behavior and evolution. 2011 Jan;78(4):315–326.
Journal cover image

Published In

Brain, behavior and evolution

DOI

EISSN

1421-9743

ISSN

0006-8977

Publication Date

January 2011

Volume

78

Issue

4

Start / End Page

315 / 326

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Sodium-Phosphate Cotransporter Proteins, Type III
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Pan troglodytes
  • Organ Size
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Macaca
  • Humans
  • Glucose Transporter Type 4