# Improving Inference of Genetic Architecture and Selection with African Genomes

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2022 · $382,331

## Abstract

Project Summary
There is a pressing need for population genomic research in small, diverse cohorts -- allowing
geneticists to characterize the genetic determinants of disease/phenotype for any human community.
A variety of new complex trait mapping methods have been recently proposed for endogamous or
admixed populations. However, these methods were often developed with specific European-descent
case-studies in mind (e.g. in Hutterites, Sardinians) and application to alternative cohorts introduces
special challenges, especially in continental African and African-American populations.
 My lab specializes in African genomic diversity and I have over 13 years experience
developing cohort collections in southern Africa. To test hypotheses about genetic architecture and
polygenic selection patterns in African cohorts, I focus on highly heritable, easily measured traits
[e.g. height, skin pigmentation] as model systems for identifying genotype-phenotype associations.
We have shown, for example, that the polygenicity of pigmentation is far more complex in Africans
than in Europeans. While field work is central to my lab's research program, it also provides a crucial
genomic resource for other research groups. Southern Africans, like the KhoeSan, contain genetic
variants which are rarely observed elsewhere and their unusual patterns of linkage disequilbrium can
be used to fine-map causal variants. Outcomes of this grant will include: 1) collect DNA, maintain
field sites and characterize fundamental genomic features of southern African populations for our lab
and collaborators; 2) estimate recombination rates and mutational patterns in southern Africans using
deep pedigrees; 3) use skin pigmentation and height as models for understanding the portability of
genotype-phenotype associations across populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10439682
- **Project number:** 5R35GM133531-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Brenna M Henn
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $382,331
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-05 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10439682

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10439682, Improving Inference of Genetic Architecture and Selection with African Genomes (5R35GM133531-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10439682. Licensed CC0.

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