title: Sequences from first settlers reveal rapid evolution in Icelandic mtDNA pool.
abstract: A major task in human genetics is to understand the nature of the evolutionary processes that have shaped the gene pools of contemporary populations. Ancient DNA studies have great potential to shed light on the evolution of populations because they provide the opportunity to sample from the same population at different points in time. Here, we show that a sample of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences from 68 early medieval Icelandic skeletal remains is more closely related to sequences from contemporary inhabitants of Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia than to those from the modern Icelandic population. Due to a faster rate of genetic drift in the Icelandic mtDNA pool during the last 1,100 years, the sequences carried by the first settlers were better preserved in their ancestral gene pools than among their descendants in Iceland. These results demonstrate the inferential power gained in ancient DNA studies through the application of population genetics analyses to relatively large samples.
authors.affiliation: deCODE Genetics, Reykjavik, Iceland. agnar@decode.is
authors.forename: Agnar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Helgason
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lalueza-Fox
authors.forename: Shyamali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Sigrún
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sigurethardóttir
authors.forename: Maria Lourdes
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sampietro
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gigli
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bertranpetit
authors.forename: Lilja
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arnadóttir
authors.forename: Unnur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Thornorsteinsdottir
authors.forename: Kári
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stefánsson
mesh_terms: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005788:Gene Pool; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial