title: Mitochondrial DNA from El Mirador cave (Atapuerca, Spain) reveals the heterogeneity of Chalcolithic populations.
abstract: Previous mitochondrial DNA analyses on ancient European remains have suggested that the current distribution of haplogroup H was modeled by the expansion of the Bell Beaker culture (ca 4,500-4,050 years BP) out of Iberia during the Chalcolithic period. However, little is known on the genetic composition of contemporaneous Iberian populations that do not carry the archaeological tool kit defining this culture. Here we have retrieved mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from 19 individuals from a Chalcolithic sample from El Mirador cave in Spain, dated to 4,760-4,200 years BP and we have analyzed the haplogroup composition in the context of modern and ancient populations. Regarding extant African, Asian and European populations, El Mirador shows affinities with Near Eastern groups. In different analyses with other ancient samples, El Mirador clusters with Middle and Late Neolithic populations from Germany, belonging to the Rössen, the Salzmünde and the Baalberge archaeological cultures but not with contemporaneous Bell Beakers. Our analyses support the existence of a common genetic signal between Western and Central Europe during the Middle and Late Neolithic and points to a heterogeneous genetic landscape among Chalcolithic groups.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gómez-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Iñigo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Olalde
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pierini
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Matas-Lalueza
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Anthropology, Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gigli
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Anthropology, Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lari
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Sergi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Civit
authors.affiliation: Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.affiliation: Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Tarragona, Spain; Àrea de Prehistòria, Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Vergès
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Anthropology, Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caramelli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lalueza-Fox
mesh_terms: D059552:Caves; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics / Q000266:history* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics / Q000266:history*; D005060:Europe; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006239:Haplotypes; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial