{
  "id": 13681097,
  "title": "An iPSC-based experimental framework for investigating phenotypic variation associated with Jomon ancestry in the present-day Japanese population",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/an-ipsc-based-experimental-framework-for-investigating-phenotypic",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-11T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.756619v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An innovative experimental framework utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has been developed to study phenotypic variations associated with Jomon ancestry in the present-day Japanese population. Ancestry-related genomic differences may contribute to diverse physical traits, but their cellular implications are challenging to assess. To tackle this issue, researchers created a hiPSC-based model using the Japanese population as a case study for Jomon-related and continental East Asian ancestry mixing. By measuring Jomon ancestry through the Jomon allele score (JAS), the study found correlations between JAS and clinical parameters, such as renal-related traits and serum triglycerides, in 34,152 participants from the Tohoku Medical Megabank.\n\nPeripheral blood mononuclear cells from donors at both ends of the JAS spectrum (n = 10) exhibited differences in immune-related gene expression. To investigate whether the association between JAS and serum triglycerides extended to hepatic cellular phenotypes, researchers differentiated hiPSCs from these donors into hepatocyte-like cells. The study discovered that intracellular triglyceride levels and lipid-related gene expression remained unchanged between the two groups. This research underscores the importance of a genetically characterized hiPSC-based framework for examining ancestry-associated phenotypes across various cellular contexts.",
  "summary": "Ancestry-related genomic variation may contribute to phenotypic diversity. However, its cellular consequences remain difficult to evaluate. To address this, we developed a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based framework for investigating such phenotypes. We used the Japanese population as a model of Jomon-related and continental East Asian ancestry admixture. Jomon ancestry, estimated…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}