Y chromosomal haplogroup J as a signature of the post-neolithic colonization of Europe.
In order to attain a finer reconstruction of the peopling of southern and central-eastern Europe from the Levant, we determined the frequencies of eight lineages internal to the Y chromosomal haplogroup J, defined by biallelic markers, in 22 population samples obtained with a fine-grained sampling scheme. Our results partially resolve a major multifurcation of lineages within the haplogroup. Analyses of molecular variance show that the area covered by haplogroup J dispersal is characterized by a significant degree of molecular radiation for unique event polymorphisms within the haplogroup, with a higher incidence of the most derived sub-haplogroups on the northern Mediterranean coast, from Turkey westward; here, J diversity is not simply a subset of that present in the area in which this haplogroup first originated. Dating estimates, based on simple tandem repeat loci (STR) diversity within each lineage, confirmed the presence of a major population structuring at the time of spread of haplogroup J in Europe and a punctuation in the peopling of this continent in the post-Neolithic, compatible with the expansion of the Greek world. We also present here, for the first time, a novel method for comparative dating of lineages, free of assumptions of STR mutation rates.
Department of Biology, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
F
F
Di Giacomo
F
F
Luca
L O
LO
Popa
N
N
Akar
N
N
Anagnou
J
J
Banyko
R
R
Brdicka
G
G
Barbujani
F
F
Papola
G
G
Ciavarella
F
F
Cucci
L
L
Di Stasi
L
L
Gavrila
M G
MG
Kerimova
D
D
Kovatchev
A I
AI
Kozlov
A
A
Loutradis
V
V
Mandarino
C
C
Mammi'
E N
EN
Michalodimitrakis
G
G
Paoli
K I
KI
Pappa
G
G
Pedicini
L
L
Terrenato
S
S
Tofanelli
P
P
Malaspina
A
A
Novelletto
D000352:Africa, Northern; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005060:Europe; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences