NEW APPROACHES TO DETECTING GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY USING GENETIC ENGINEERING, REMOTE SENSING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Abstract

To gain a better understanding of the adaptive evolution of human skin pigmentation, we combined genetic engineering, remote sensing, and geographic information systems in a new approach for detecting gene-environment interactions. Previously, we detected natural selection on haplotypes of the OCA2 gene that had been revealed by SNP analyses. In this study, we analyzed ultraviolet radiation data obtained from satellite records. These results were subjected to a spatial statistical analysis technique for analyzing gene-environment interactions. The results suggested that skin color variations may be affected by mutations induced by ultraviolet radiation. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that global variations in skin pigmentation may have resulted from localized adaptations to different ultraviolet radiation conditions via natural selection.