title: Mitochondrial DNA diversity of modern, ancient and wild sheep(Ovis gmelinii anatolica) from Turkey: new insights on the evolutionary history of sheep.
abstract: In the present study, to contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary history of sheep, the mitochondrial (mt) DNA polymorphisms occurring in modern Turkish native domestic (n = 628), modern wild (Ovis gmelinii anatolica) (n = 30) and ancient domestic sheep from Oylum Höyük in Kilis (n = 33) were examined comparatively with the accumulated data in the literature. The lengths (75 bp/76 bp) of the second and subsequent repeat units of the mtDNA control region (CR) sequences differentiated the five haplogroups (HPGs) observed in the domestic sheep into two genetic clusters as was already implied by other mtDNA markers: the first cluster being composed of HPGs A, B, D and the second cluster harboring HPGs C, E. To manifest genetic relatedness between wild Ovis gmelinii and domestic sheep haplogroups, their partial cytochrome B sequences were examined together on a median-joining network. The two parallel but wider aforementioned clusters were observed also on the network of Ovis gmelenii individuals, within which domestic haplogroups were embedded. The Ovis gmelinii wilds of the present day appeared to be distributed on two partially overlapping geographic areas parallel to the genetic clusters that they belong to (the first cluster being in the western part of the overall distribution). Thus, the analyses suggested that the domestic sheep may be the products of two maternally distinct ancestral Ovis gmelinii populations. Furthermore, Ovis gmelinii anatolica individuals exhibited a haplotype of HPG A (n = 22) and another haplotype (n = 8) from the second cluster which was not observed among the modern domestic sheep. HPG E, with the newly observed members (n = 11), showed signs of expansion. Studies of ancient and modern mtDNA suggest that HPG C frequency increased in the Southeast Anatolia from 6% to 22% some time after the beginning of the Hellenistic period, 500 years Before Common Era (BCE).
authors.affiliation: The Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevgin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demirci
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Institute, TUBITAK Marmara Research Center, Kocaeli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Evren
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koban Baştanlar
authors.affiliation: The Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nihan Dilşad
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Dağtaş
authors.affiliation: Department of Settlement Archaeology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pişkin
authors.affiliation: Department of Archaeology, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: Atilla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engin
authors.affiliation: The Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Füsun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.affiliation: The Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Eren
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yüncü
authors.affiliation: The Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sükrü Anıl
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Doğan
authors.affiliation: The Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Inci
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Togan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012756:Sheep / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D045303:Cytochromes b