An mtDNA perspective of French genetic variation.
BACKGROUND
The French has been insufficiently characterized so far for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity.


OBJECTIVE
The study aimed to enhance the information available for the French mtDNA pool and to explore the potential microgeographical differentiation of two French regions selected for their linguistic and historical idiosyncrasies.


METHODS
A total of 868 samples from 12 different locations in France were collected. They were sequenced for the hypervariable segment I (HVS-I) and typed for haplogroup defining markers from the coding region either by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) or by a new protocol based on the 5' nuclease allelic discrimination. The mtDNA gene pools of French Basques and Bretons were compared in terms of frequency and composition with relevant neighbouring populations.


RESULTS
The French Basques' mtDNA pool shares some common features with that of the Spanish Basques, such as the high frequency of haplogroup H. However, the French Basques exhibit a number of distinct features, most notably expressed in the prevalence of haplogroups linked with the Neolithic diffusion in Europe. In Brittany, Finistère shows closer affinities with Britain and Scandinavia than the two other departments of Brittany.


CONCLUSIONS
The mtDNA haplogroup composition of the French does not differ significantly from the surrounding European genetic landscape. At a finer grain, microgeographical differentiation can be revealed, as shown for the French Basque country and for Brittany.
Richard
Chrystelle
C
Laboratoire d'Etude du Polymorphisme de l'ADN, Faculté de Médecine, Nantes, France.
Pennarun
Erwan
E
Kivisild
Toomas
T
Tambets
Kristiina
K
Tolk
Helle-Viivi
HV
Metspalu
Ene
E
Reidla
Maere
M
Chevalier
Sylviana
S
Giraudet
Stéphanie
S
Lauc
Lovorka Barać
LB
Pericić
Marijana
M
Rudan
Pavao
P
Claustres
Mireille
M
Journel
Hubert
H
Dorval
Ian
I
Müller
Claude
C
Villems
Richard
R
Chaventré
André
A
Moisan
Jean-Paul
JP
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005602:France; D005788:Gene Pool; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population / Q000379:methods*; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial