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Ancient DNA reveals evolutionary origins of autoimmune diseases

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Most autoimmune diseases are caused by the interplay between common genetic risk variants and environmental factors. New studies of ancient genomes suggest that many of these variants evolved under strong selection pressures, probably due to lifestyle-specific environmental pathogens, the consequences of which shape the distribution of present-day disease risk and point to novel therapeutic interventions.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: William Barrie and Evan K. Irving-Pease.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    William Barrie & Eske Willerslev

  2. Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    William Barrie

  3. Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Evan K. Irving-Pease

  4. Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Eske Willerslev

  5. MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences and Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Eske Willerslev

  6. MRC Human Immunology Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Astrid K. N. Iversen & Lars Fugger

  7. Oxford Centre for Neuroinflammation, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Lars Fugger

Authors
  1. William Barrie
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  2. Evan K. Irving-Pease
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  3. Eske Willerslev
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  4. Astrid K. N. Iversen
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  5. Lars Fugger
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Eske Willerslev, Astrid K. N. Iversen or Lars Fugger.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Barrie, W., Irving-Pease, E.K., Willerslev, E. et al. Ancient DNA reveals evolutionary origins of autoimmune diseases. Nat Rev Immunol 24, 85–86 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-023-00983-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-023-00983-6

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