Moroccan mitochondrial genetic background suggests prehistoric human migrations across the Gibraltar Strait.
Migrations into Africa from the Levant have greatly determined the mitochondrial genetic landscape of North Africa. After analyzing samples from North Morocco to Spain, we show that three fourths of the Moroccan individuals belong to Western Eurasian haplogroups and the frequencies of these are much more similar to those of the Iberian Peninsula than to those of the Middle East. This is particularly true for the mitochondrial haplogroups H1, H3 and V, which experienced a late-glacial expansion from this region, that repopulated much of Central and Northern Europe. Iberian Peninsula was also a source for prehistoric migrations to North Africa.
Rhouda
Taha
T
Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain. taha@unizar.es
Martínez-Redondo
Diana
D
Gómez-Durán
Aurora
A
Elmtili
Noureddine
N
Idaomar
Mouhamed
M
Díez-Sánchez
Carmen
C
Montoya
Julio
J
López-Pérez
Manuel José
MJ
Ruiz-Pesini
Eduardo
E
D000352:Africa, Northern; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005060:Europe; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008877:Middle East; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics*
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial