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Abstract
Menopause is the transition from reproductive to non-reproductive life well before natural death. Rather than involving a smooth, rapid change, it is normally preceded by a long period of erratic hormonal fluctuation that is accompanied by a plethora of unpleasant symptoms. Here, we (1) suggest that this turbulent period owes to conflict, between a woman's maternally inherited (MI) and paternally inherited (PI) genes, over the trade-off between reproduction and communal care; (2) perform a theoretical analysis to show that this conflict is resolved either through silencing or fluctuating expression of one of the genes; (3) highlight which of the symptoms preceding menopause may result from antagonistic co-evolution of MI and PI genes; (4) argue that ecological differences between ancestral human populations may explain the variability in menopause among different ethnic groups; (5) discuss how these insights may be used to inform family planning and cancer risk assessment based on a woman's ancestral background.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 165-174 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Ecology Letters |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 9 Dec 2013 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2014 |
Keywords
- Cancer
- Cooperation
- Demography
- Fertility
- Game theory
- Genomic imprinting
- Humans
- Hunter gatherers
- Kin selection
- Migration
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Dive into the research topics of 'Ecology drives intragenomic conflict over menopause'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Andy Gardner awaiting trf LM105: University Research Fellowship
Gardner, A. (PI)
1/08/13 → 30/09/14
Project: Fellowship