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The Milk Enzyme: Adventures with the Human Lactase Polymorphism 2015
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Main description:

Prior to the 1960s, it was widely believed that all members of the species Homo sapiens possessed a high concentration of the enzyme lactase (which hydrolyses the milk disaccharide) in the small-intestinal mucosa. It then became clear that low levels (lactase deficiency - later more accurately termed hypolactasia) were relatively common. In 1966, the author of this book demonstrated in Uganda that although most indigenous Africans had hypolactasia in adult life, those from tribes believed by most physical anthropologists to have originated either in the Middle East or north-eastern parts of the African continent had PL. This difference, which probably has a genetic basis, instigated much research in indigenous communities in various parts of the world; it rapidly became clear that hypolactasia was the 'normal' state for H sapiens. In 1975 the author confirmed his suspicion that PL had originated within the Arabian peninsula - an observation which has since been confirmed and expanded by several geneticists. The mutation has apparently occurred several times in the last few millennia.
However, the raison d'etre for development of PL in a minority of H sapiens remains a subject of controversy, but in some way the milk from cattle and camels, following domestication, was probably the catalyst.All these and other relevant observations are succinctly recorded in this fascinating ongoing saga.


Contents:

PrefaceChapter 1 : The human lactase position before 1960.Chapter 2 : Lactase status of Africans in Uganda.Chapter 3 : The Ugandan results in retrospect.Chapter 4 : Small intestinal lactase concentration in carnivorous mammals - excluding Homo sapiens.Chapter 5 : Lactose absorption in adult Zambian Africans.Chapter 6 : Lactase status of adults in Saudi Arabia.Chapter 7 : The original geographical location of lactase persistence (PL) is in the Arabian peninsula.Chapter 8 : Do adult Papua New Guineans have brush-border lactase in adult life?Chapter 9 : Is there any evidence for an environmental stimulus for the persistent lactase (PL) gene(s)?Chapter 10: Origin(s) of Middle-Eastern populations.Chapter 11: History of milk consumption in the Arabian peninsula, Africa and Europe.Chapter 12: DNA analysis and present understanding of distribution of the persistent lactase (PL) genes.Chapter 13: What selective advantage did the PL gene confer?Chapter 14: Epilogue


PRODUCT DETAILS

ISBN-13: 9780956059857
Publisher: TROPZAM
Publication date: October, 2015
Pages: 144
Weight: 652g
Availability: Contact supplier
Subcategories: General Issues

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