Population structure in the Mediterranean basin: a Y chromosome perspective.
The Mediterranean region has been characterised by a number of pre-historical and historical demographic events whose legacy on the current genetic landscape is still a matter of debate. In order to investigate the degree of population structure across the Mediterranean, we have investigated Y chromosome variation in a large dataset of Mediterranean populations, 11 of which are first described here. Our analyses identify four main clusters in the Mediterranean that can be labelled as North Africa, Arab, Central-East and West Mediterranean. In particular, Near Eastern samples tend to separate according to the presence of Arab Y chromosome lineages, suggesting that the Arab expansion played a major role in shaping the current genetic structuring within the Fertile Crescent.
Capelli
C
C
Department of Biology, University College of London, London, UK. cristian.capelli@promega.com
Redhead
N
N
Romano
V
V
Calì
F
F
Lefranc
G
G
Delague
V
V
Megarbane
A
A
Felice
A E
AE
Pascali
V L
VL
Neophytou
P I
PI
Poulli
Z
Z
Novelletto
A
A
Malaspina
P
P
Terrenato
L
L
Berebbi
A
A
Fellous
M
M
Thomas
M G
MG
Goldstein
D B
DB
D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D005006:Ethnicity; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019083:Mediterranean Region