title: Extreme mtDNA homogeneity in continental Asian populations.
abstract: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in continental Asia has not been well-studied. Here, we report mtDNA HV1 sequences for 84 Xi'an and 82 Changsha Han Chinese, 89 Honshu Japanese, and 35 Vietnamese. Comparison of these sequences with other Asian mtDNA sequences reveals high variability within populations, but extremely low differentiation among Asian populations. Correlations between genetic distance and geographic distance, based on mtDNA and Y chromosome variation, indicate a higher migration rate in females than in males. This may reflect patrilocality, as suggested previously, but another plausible hypothesis is that the demographic expansion associated with the spread of agriculture in Asia may be responsible for the extreme genetic homogeneity in Asia.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. hiroki.oota@yale.edu
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oota
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitano
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yuasa
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shintaroh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Naruya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saitou
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stoneking
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial