Neanderthal and Denisovan Glutamate Dehydrogenase 2 Evolution and Clinical Significance

Mammalian glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) is an indispensable metabolic enzyme. GDH duplication has led to the presence of two paralogs, GDH1 and GDH2, in apes. Multiple GDH pseudogenes are also present in the human genome. The novel GDH2, supposed to be a target of positive selection, differs from GDH1 in regulation and is believed to be tightly linked to brain development. Although the differences of modern human GDH2 from GDH2 of other apes have been studied, the evolution of ancient human GDH2 remains a blank space. The goal of this work was to elucidate GDH2 evolution in the genus <i>Homo</i> using the accumulated data on the ancient genomes with high coverage-three Neanderthal and one Denisovan genome. Such analysis clarifies the difference between GDH2 of the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees and all <i>Homo</i> to be in M468L substitution, localized in the regulatory "antenna" region of the protein. A few novel missense mutations have been found in Denisovan and Altai Neanderthal GDH2, namely R76H, present in both genomes, and Denisovan-specific T154P, I358L, and S498A substitutions. Another mutation, R352K, has likely occurred independently in modern humans and later Neanderthals. The potential impact of these mutations was estimated using GDH2 structural data and evidence from contemporary medical data. All substitutions are supposed to be benign, with only the S498A GDH2 substitution connected to Parkinson's disease with late onset. Additionally, the ancient genomes were revealed to have all GDH pseudogenes present in modern humans, including the RNA-coding ones. The <i>GLUD1P3</i> RNA expression was found to correlate negatively with GDH1 in human tissues. A possible regulatory role has been proposed, and the <i>GLUD1P3</i> RNA sequence identity in all the studied human genomes suggests its conservation in the genus <i>Homo</i>.