title: The peopling of Europe and the cautionary tale of Y chromosome lineage R-M269.
abstract: Recently, the debate on the origins of the major European Y chromosome haplogroup R1b1b2-M269 has reignited, and opinion has moved away from Palaeolithic origins to the notion of a younger Neolithic spread of these chromosomes from the Near East. Here, we address this debate by investigating frequency patterns and diversity in the largest collection of R1b1b2-M269 chromosomes yet assembled. Our analysis reveals no geographical trends in diversity, in contradiction to expectation under the Neolithic hypothesis, and suggests an alternative explanation for the apparent cline in diversity recently described. We further investigate the young, STR-based time to the most recent common ancestor estimates proposed so far for R-M269-related lineages and find evidence for an appreciable effect of microsatellite choice on age estimates. As a consequence, the existing data and tools are insufficient to make credible estimates for the age of this haplogroup, and conclusions about the timing of its origin and dispersal should be viewed with a large degree of caution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: George B J
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Busby
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brisighelli
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Diz
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramos-Luis
authors.forename: Conrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martinez-Cadenas
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: Leonor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gusmão
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winney
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bodmer
authors.forename: Marielle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vennemann
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Coia
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scarnicci
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tofanelli
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vona
authors.forename: Rafal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ploski
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vecchiotti
authors.forename: Tatijana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zemunik
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rudan
authors.forename: Sena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karachanak
authors.forename: Draga
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Toncheva
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anagnostou
authors.forename: Gianmarco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rapone
authors.forename: Tor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hervig
authors.forename: Torolf
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moen
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Capelli
mesh_terms: D001211:Asia, Western; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005060:Europe; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008877:Middle East; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*