The genetic legacy of the Mongols.
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.
Zerjal
Tatiana
T
Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Xue
Yali
Y
Bertorelle
Giorgio
G
Wells
R Spencer
RS
Bao
Weidong
W
Zhu
Suling
S
Qamar
Raheel
R
Ayub
Qasim
Q
Mohyuddin
Aisha
A
Fu
Songbin
S
Li
Pu
P
Yuldasheva
Nadira
N
Ruzibakiev
Ruslan
R
Xu
Jiujin
J
Shu
Qunfang
Q
Du
Ruofu
R
Yang
Huanming
H
Hurles
Matthew E
ME
Robinson
Elizabeth
E
Gerelsaikhan
Tudevdagva
T
Dashnyam
Bumbein
B
Mehdi
S Qasim
SQ
Tyler-Smith
Chris
C
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