1850/01/01 by Tatiana Zerjal, R. Spencer Wells, Nadira Yuldasheva +3 · 20 citations
Arts and Humanities · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Computer Science · Social Sciences · #Australian Indigenous Culture and History #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Forensic and Genetic Research #Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Race, Genetics, and Society
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/342096
openalex publication_date 1850/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Sixteen Y-chromosomal microsatellites and 16 binary markers have been used to analyze DNA variation in 408 male subjects from 15 populations in Central Asia. Large genetic differences were found between populations, but these did not display an obvious geographical or linguistic pattern like that usually seen for Y-chromosomal variation. Nevertheless, an underlying east-west clinal pattern could be detected by the Autocorrelation Index for DNA Analysis and admixture analysis, and this pattern was interpreted as being derived from the ancient peopling of the area, reinforced by subsequent migrations. Two particularly striking features were seen: an extremely high level of Y-chromosomal differentiation between geographically close populations, accompanied by low diversity within some populations. These were due to the presence of high-frequency population-specific lineages and suggested the occurrence of several recent bottlenecks or founder events. Such events could account for the lack of a clear overall pattern and emphasize the importance of multiple recent events in reshaping this genetic landscape.