title: The maternal perspective for five Slovenian regions: The importance of regional sampling.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Slovenian territory is geographically positioned between the Alps, Adriatic Sea, Pannonian basin and the Dinaric Mountains and, as such, has served as a passageway for various populations in different periods of time. Turbulent historic events and diverse geography of the region have produced a diverse contemporary population whose genetic analysis could provide insight into past demographic events.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to characterize the Slovenian mitochondrial gene pool at the micro-geographic level and to compare it with surrounding populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 402 individuals from five Slovenian regions were analysed in this study by typing HVR I, HVR II and coding region polymorphisms of mtDNA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis revealed 47 haplogroups and sub-haplogroups, the most common of which were H*, H1, J1c, T2 and U5a. Intra-population comparisons revealed a sharp gradient of the J1c haplogroup between Slovenian regions, with a peak frequency of 24.5% being observed in the population of the Littoral Region.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sharp gradient of the J1c haplogroup between Slovenian regions is in line with the archaeological horizon known as Impressed Ware culture and could, therefore, represent a genetic trace of the early Neolithic expansion route along the East Adriatic coastal region.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Molecular Genetics , Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana , Ljubljana , Slovenia.
authors.forename: Andrej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zupan
authors.affiliation: a Department of Molecular Genetics , Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana , Ljubljana , Slovenia.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hauptman
authors.affiliation: a Department of Molecular Genetics , Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana , Ljubljana , Slovenia.
authors.forename: Damjan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Glavač
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005788:Gene Pool; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005838:Genotype; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017524:Slovenia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004247:DNA
keywords: Impressed ware culture; J1c haplogroup; Slavs; Slovenian population; mtDNA diversity; neolithic