title: Y-chromosome variation in Tajiks and Iranians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to characterize Y-chromosome diversity in Tajiks from Tajikistan and in Persians and Kurds from Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  Y-chromosome haplotypes were identified in 40 Tajiks, 77 Persians and 25 Kurds, using 12 short tandem repeats (STR) and 18 binary markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High genetic diversity was observed in the populations studied. Six of 12 haplogroups were common in Persians, Kurds and Tajiks, but only three haplogroups (G-M201, J-12f2 and L-M20) were the most frequent in all populations, comprising together ~60% of the Y-chromosomes in the pooled data set. Analysis of genetic distances between Y-STR haplotypes revealed that the Kurds showed a great distance to the Iranian-speaking populations of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The presence of Indian-specific haplogroups L-M20, H1-M52 and R2a-M124 in both Tajik samples from Afghanistan and Tajikistan demonstrates an apparent genetic affinity between Tajiks from these two regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the marked similarities between Y-chromosome gene pools of Iranian-speaking populations, there are differences between them, defined by many factors, including geographic and linguistic relationships.
authors.affiliation: Genetics Laboratory, Institute of Biological Problems of the North, Russian Academy of Sciences, Magadan, Russia.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Malyarchuk
authors.forename: Miroslava
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Derenko
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wozniak
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grzybowski
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y / Q000235:genetics*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D013620:Tajikistan