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Left ventricular trabeculation in Hominidae: divergence of the human cardiac phenotype
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Rebeca Atencia,
Yedra Feltrer,
Thalita Calvi,
Ellie L. Milnes ,
Sophie Moittié,
Annika Weigold,
Tobias Knauf-Witzens,
Arga Sawung Kusuma,
Glyn Howatson,
Christopher Palmer,
Mike R. Stembridge,
John E. Gorzynski ,
Neil D. Eves,
Tony G. Dawkins ,
Rob E. Shave
Communications Biology, Volume: 7, Issue: 1
Swansea University Author:
Aimee Drane
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DOI (Published version): 10.1038/s42003-024-06280-9
Abstract
Although the gross morphology of the heart is conserved across mammals, subtle interspecific variations exist in the cardiac phenotype, which may reflect evolutionary divergence among closely-related species. Here, we compare the left ventricle (LV) across all extant members of the Hominidae taxon,...
| Published in: | Communications Biology |
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| ISSN: | 2399-3642 |
| Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2024
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66968 |
| Abstract: |
Although the gross morphology of the heart is conserved across mammals, subtle interspecific variations exist in the cardiac phenotype, which may reflect evolutionary divergence among closely-related species. Here, we compare the left ventricle (LV) across all extant members of the Hominidae taxon, using 2D echocardiography, to gain insight into the evolution of the human heart. We present compelling evidence that the human LV has diverged away from a more trabeculated phenotype present in all other great apes, towards a ventricular wall with proportionally greater compact myocardium, which was corroborated by post-mortem chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) hearts. Speckle-tracking echocardiographic analyses identified a negative curvilinear relationship between the degree of trabeculation and LV systolic twist, revealing lower rotational mechanics in the trabeculated non-human great ape LV. This divergent evolution of the human heart may have facilitated the augmentation of cardiac output to support the metabolic and thermoregulatory demands of the human ecological niche. |
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| Keywords: |
Biological anthropology, Cardiovascular biology |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
We thank all the staff and volunteers that care for the animals included in this study, particularly the teams at Tchimpounga Wildlife Sanctuary (Congo), Chimfunshi Wildlife Sanctuary (Zambia), Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (Sierra Leone), Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (Borneo), the Zoological Society of London (UK), Paignton Zoo (UK), Bristol Zoo Gardens (UK), Burgers’ Zoo (Netherlands) and Wilhelma Zoo (Germany). This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, grant no. GR017741 (R.E.S.), and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation grant no. GR014935 (R.E.S.). |
| Issue: |
1 |