How do new genetic mutations form? DNMs are not present in the DNA of either parent and are not inherited. They are fresh mutations that arise in the reproductive cells of parents (sperm and eggs) and get passed on to children. <\/p>\n Sometimes, these changes have no impact<\/a>. Other times, they can lead to severe genetic disorders.<\/p>\n Parental age, especially the father\u2019s, plays a role in increasing DNMs. Each year that a father ages adds around 1.5 mutations to his child\u2019s genetic makeup. <\/p>\n A mother\u2019s aging adds about 0.4 mutations. But is that all? What else could be stirring the genetic pot?<\/p>\n Subtle ancestry differences in mutations<\/p>\n To find out, the researchers scoured genetic data from 10,557 parent-child trios. They looked for genetic variants present in the child but absent in both parents. This approach allowed them to map nearly 689,000 DNMs. It\u2019s the biggest DNM catalog ever created.<\/p>\n But the sheer size of the dataset wasn\u2019t the only notable feature. The researchers explored a diverse range of ancestries, including European, African, South Asian, and American groups. This diversity helped them detect subtle differences in mutation rates linked to ancestry<\/a>.<\/p>\n Does ancestry matter?<\/p>\n It turns out, ancestry does matter. African ancestry groups exhibited slightly higher DNM rates than other populations. <\/p>\n On average, children of African ancestry inherited about 67 new DNMs per generation. European, South Asian, and American groups inherited about 64 DNMs.<\/p>\n The gap seems minor, but it is statistically significant. The researchers suggest that genetic and environmental factors tied to ancestry may be at play.<\/p>\n Still, age had a far more pronounced effect than ancestry. A two-year difference<\/a> in a father\u2019s age at the conception of his child could offset the ancestral differences in DNM rates.<\/p>\n Genetic variants don\u2019t explain mutation<\/p>\n Genetic variations within populations could theoretically affect DNM rates. To investigate, the researchers zoomed in on European-ancestry trios. They searched for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are small genetic changes that might influence mutation rates.<\/p>\n The experts found nothing conclusive. No common genetic variants appeared to affect DNM rates significantly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sheer scale of the 100,000 Genomes Project presented a great opportunity to look into the effects and exposures that explain rates and patterns of DNA changes,\u201d said Dr. Aylwyn Scally from the University of Cambridge<\/a>.<\/p>\n Smoking affects genetic mutation rates<\/p>\n Does smoking alter the genetic blueprint passed to children? Yes, but the effect is small. The researchers found a slight increase in DNMs among children of parents who smoked.<\/p>\n On average, the increase was about 2% \u2013 less than one extra DNM over a parent\u2019s reproductive life<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, this slight increase caught the researchers\u2019 attention. They noted that while the effect size was small, it was statistically significant. <\/p>\n \u201cWhile evolution has done its best to develop mechanisms to protect the DNA we pass on to our offspring, our study has shown that it\u2019s not fully protected from certain exposures,\u201d said Dr. Raheleh Rahbari from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.<\/p>\n Implications for genetic studies<\/p>\n The findings matter for genetic research. Current models assume that mutation rates are the same across populations. But what if they aren\u2019t? What if ancestry subtly shapes mutation rates, as this study suggests?<\/p>\n Adjusting genetic models to account for ancestry and lifestyle factors could refine predictions about rare genetic disorders. It could also help scientists pinpoint mutations that are linked to diseases, leading to more accurate diagnoses.<\/p>\n Reproductive health and genetic mutations<\/p>\n Germ cells \u2013 sperm and eggs \u2013 guard genetic information. Their mutation rates stay low and minimize the risk of transmitting harmful changes. But factors like age, ancestry, and smoking can still nudge those rates higher.<\/p>\n \u201cAncestry and lifestyle choices like smoking are associated with the number of new DNA changes that arise in the genome,\u201d stated Dr. Hilary Martin from the Wellcome Sanger Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe effects are small, but they deepen our understanding of genetic variation.\u201d<\/p>\n Further research is needed<\/p>\n Despite its scale, the study had limits. The number of participants from certain ancestry groups was relatively small. And while the researchers examined smoking, they did not explore other potential environmental factors, such as alcohol use or pollutants.<\/p>\n Future studies with larger, more diverse datasets could reveal additional influences on mutation rates. As genetic sequencing becomes cheaper and faster, the ability to track DNMs across generations will most certainly improve.<\/p>\n The study is published in the journal Nature Communications<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Check us out on EarthSnap<\/a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls<\/a> and Earth.com.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What makes one child genetically different from another? In a recent study, experts examined how ancestry, genetic makeup,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3846],"tags":[267,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-112507","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-genetics","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114530565875475982","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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