title: Contrasting patterns of nuclear and mtDNA diversity in Native American populations.
abstract: We report an integrated analysis of nuclear (autosomal, X- and Y-chromosome) short tandem repeat (STR) data and mtDNA D-loop sequences obtained in the same set of 22 Native populations from across the Americas. A north to south gradient of decreasing population diversity was observed, in agreement with a settlement of the Americas from the extreme northwest of the continent. This correlation is stronger with "least cost distances," which consider the coasts as facilitators of migration. Continent-wide estimates of population structure are highest for the Y-chromosome and lowest for the autosomes, consistent with the effective size of the different marker systems examined. Population differentiation is highest in East South America and lowest in Meso America and the Andean region. Regional analyses suggest a deviation from mutation-drift equilibrium consistent with population expansion in Meso America and the Andes and population contraction in Northwest and East South America. These data hint at an early divergence of Andean and non-Andean South Americans and at a contrasting demographic history for populations from these regions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: Ning Ning
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazières
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bravi
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Sijia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Mari-Wyn
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Burley
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bedoya
authors.forename: Winston
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: Maria V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.forename: Julio A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poletti
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hurtado
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Petzl-Erler
authors.forename: Luiza T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Tsuneto
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Klitz
authors.forename: Ramiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barrantes
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Llop
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rothhammer
authors.forename: Damian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Labuda
authors.forename: Francisco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Salzano
authors.forename: Maria-Cátira
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bortolini
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Excoffier
authors.forename: Jean Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dugoujon
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Linares
mesh_terms: D041321:Chromosomes, Human, X / Q000235:genetics; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000235:genetics*; D007199:Indians, South American / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial