title: Ancient DNA reveals male diffusion through the Neolithic Mediterranean route.
abstract: The Neolithic is a key period in the history of the European settlement. Although archaeological and present-day genetic data suggest several hypotheses regarding the human migration patterns at this period, validation of these hypotheses with the use of ancient genetic data has been limited. In this context, we studied DNA extracted from 53 individuals buried in a necropolis used by a French local community 5,000 y ago. The relatively good DNA preservation of the samples allowed us to obtain autosomal, Y-chromosomal, and/or mtDNA data for 29 of the 53 samples studied. From these datasets, we established close parental relationships within the necropolis and determined maternal and paternal lineages as well as the absence of an allele associated with lactase persistence, probably carried by Neolithic cultures of central Europe. Our study provides an integrative view of the genetic past in southern France at the end of the Neolithic period. Furthermore, the Y-haplotype lineages characterized and the study of their current repartition in European populations confirm a greater influence of the Mediterranean than the Central European route in the peopling of southern Europe during the Neolithic transition.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5288, 31073 Toulouse, France. lacan.marie@netcourrier.com
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lacan
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Keyser
authors.forename: François-Xavier
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Ricaut
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brucato
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Duranthon
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guilaine
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crubézy
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ludes
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005060:Europe; D005580:Fossils; D005602:France; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013997:Time Factors; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004247:DNA