A predominantly neolithic origin for European paternal lineages.
The relative contributions to modern European populations of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers from the Near East have been intensely debated. Haplogroup R1b1b2 (R-M269) is the commonest European Y-chromosomal lineage, increasing in frequency from east to west, and carried by 110 million European men. Previous studies suggested a Paleolithic origin, but here we show that the geographical distribution of its microsatellite diversity is best explained by spread from a single source in the Near East via Anatolia during the Neolithic. Taken with evidence on the origins of other haplogroups, this indicates that most European Y chromosomes originate in the Neolithic expansion. This reinterpretation makes Europe a prime example of how technological and cultural change is linked with the expansion of a Y-chromosomal lineage, and the contrast of this pattern with that shown by maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA suggests a unique role for males in the transition.
Balaresque
Patricia
P
Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom.
Bowden
Georgina R
GR
Adams
Susan M
SM
Leung
Ho-Yee
HY
King
Turi E
TE
Rosser
Zoë H
ZH
Goodwin
Jane
J
Moisan
Jean-Paul
JP
Richard
Christelle
C
Millward
Ann
A
Demaine
Andrew G
AG
Barbujani
Guido
G
Previderè
Carlo
C
Wilson
Ian J
IJ
Tyler-Smith
Chris
C
Jobling
Mark A
MA
D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005060:Europe; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D011157:Population Dynamics; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*