title: The genetic legacy of the Mongols.
abstract: We have identified a Y-chromosomal lineage with several unusual features. It was found in 16 populations throughout a large region of Asia, stretching from the Pacific to the Caspian Sea, and was present at high frequency: approximately 8% of the men in this region carry it, and it thus makes up approximately 0.5% of the world total. The pattern of variation within the lineage suggested that it originated in Mongolia approximately 1,000 years ago. Such a rapid spread cannot have occurred by chance; it must have been a result of selection. The lineage is carried by likely male-line descendants of Genghis Khan, and we therefore propose that it has spread by a novel form of social selection resulting from their behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zerjal
authors.forename: Yali
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertorelle
authors.forename: R Spencer
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Suling
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Raheel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qamar
authors.forename: Qasim
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ayub
authors.forename: Aisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohyuddin
authors.forename: Songbin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Pu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Nadira
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yuldasheva
authors.forename: Ruslan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruzibakiev
authors.forename: Jiujin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Qunfang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Ruofu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Huanming
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hurles
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Tudevdagva
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gerelsaikhan
authors.forename: Bumbein
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dashnyam
authors.forename: S Qasim
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Mehdi
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tyler-Smith
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008986:Mongolia; D009154:Mutation; D012426:Russia; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013995:Time