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High-altitude adaptation: Role of genetic and epigenetic factors

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Abstract

After the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, the field of genetics has witnessed massive progress that spanned research in high-altitude biology also. Especially the decade of 2010s witnessed the most of it and revealed various genetic signatures of high-altitude adaptation in Tibetans, Andeans and Ethiopians. High-altitude area, with its extreme environment, harbors a tremendous potential for gene-environment interaction, an aspect that could be explored by epigenetic studies. There are only four original articles till now which explore the epigenetic aspect of high-altitude adaptation or acclimatization. However, there is no comprehensive review to provide complete information on the genetic and epigenetic aspects of high-altitude adaptations. Hence, we have prepared this mini-review to summarize the genetic and epigenetic studies that have correlated the high-altitude adaptation or acclimatization, until recently.

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Acknowledgments

NB acknowledges the Department of Science and Technology (GoI) for the DST-INSPIRE fellowship. NB additionally acknowledges DST (GoI) and the British Council (UK) for the award of short-term research internship under Newton Bhabha PhD Placement Programme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, India

    Nipa Basak & Kumarasamy Thangaraj

  2. Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, 201 002, India

    Nipa Basak & Kumarasamy Thangaraj

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  1. Nipa Basak
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  2. Kumarasamy Thangaraj
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Correspondence to Nipa Basak.

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Basak, N., Thangaraj, K. High-altitude adaptation: Role of genetic and epigenetic factors. J Biosci 46, 107 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-021-00228-5

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