Genetic structure of Hmong-Mien speaking populations in East Asia as revealed by mtDNA lineages.
Hmong-Mien (H-M) is a major language family in East Asia, and its speakers distribute primarily in southern China and Southeast Asia. To date, genetic studies on H-M speaking populations are virtually absent in the literature. In this report, we present the results of an analysis of genetic variations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable segment 1 (HVS1) region and diagnostic variants in the coding regions in 537 individuals sampled from 17 H-M populations across East Asia. The analysis showed that the haplogroups that are predominant in southern East Asia, including B, R9, N9a, and M7, account for 63% (ranging from 45% to 90%) of mtDNAs in H-M populations. Furthermore, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), phylogenetic tree analysis, and principal component (PC) analysis demonstrate closer relatedness between H-M and other southern East Asians, suggesting a general southern origin of maternal lineages in the H-M populations. The estimated ages of the mtDNA lineages that are specific to H-M coincide with those based on archeological cultures that have been associated with H-M. Analysis of genetic distance and phylogenetic tree indicated some extent of difference between the Hmong and the Mien populations. Together with the higher frequency of north-dominating lineages observed in the Hmong people, our results indicate that the Hmong populations had experienced more contact with the northern East Asians, a finding consistent with historical evidence. Moreover, our data defined some new (sub-)haplogroups (A6, B4e, B4f, C5, F1a1, F1a1a, and R9c), which will direct further efforts to improve the phylogeny of East Asian mtDNAs.
Wen
Bo
B
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and Center for Anthropological Studies, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Li
Hui
H
Gao
Song
S
Mao
Xianyun
X
Gao
Yang
Y
Li
Feng
F
Zhang
Feng
F
He
Yungang
Y
Dong
Yongli
Y
Zhang
Youjun
Y
Huang
Wenju
W
Jin
Jianzhong
J
Xiao
Chunjie
C
Lu
Daru
D
Chakraborty
Ranajit
R
Su
Bing
B
Deka
Ranjan
R
Jin
Li
L
D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D044466:Asian People; D001483:Base Sequence; D002681:China; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial