title: Vestiges of an Ancient Border in the Contemporary Genetic Diversity of North-Eastern Europe.
abstract: It has previously been demonstrated that the advance of the Neolithic Revolution from the Near East through Europe was decelerated in the northernmost confines of the continent, possibly as a result of space and resource competition with lingering Mesolithic populations. Finland was among the last domains to adopt a farming lifestyle, and is characterized by substructuring in the form of a distinct genetic border dividing the northeastern and southwestern regions of the country. To explore the origins of this divergence, the geographical patterns of mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal haplogroups of Neolithic and Mesolithic ancestry were assessed in Finnish populations. The distribution of these uniparental markers revealed a northeastern bias for hunter-gatherer haplogroups, while haplogroups associated with the farming lifestyle clustered in the southwest. In addition, a correlation could be observed between more ancient mitochondrial haplogroup age and eastern concentration. These results coupled with prior archeological evidence suggest the genetic northeast/southwest division observed in contemporary Finland represents an ancient vestigial border between Mesolithic and Neolithic populations undetectable in most other regions of Europe.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Biology, Department of Forensic Medicine, PO Box 40 (Kytösuontie 11) FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anu M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Neuvonen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Biology, Department of Forensic Medicine, PO Box 40 (Kytösuontie 11) FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Mikko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Putkonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Section of Genetics and Physiology, University of Turku, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 4, 20014, Turku, Finland; Department of Biosciences, PO Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5) FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sanni
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Översti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, PO Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5) FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies, PO Box 59 (Unioninkatu 38 F) FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Tarja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sundell
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, PO Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5) FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Päivi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Onkamo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Biology, Department of Forensic Medicine, PO Box 40 (Kytösuontie 11) FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Institute of Applied Genetics, Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, Texas, 76107, United States of America.
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sajantila
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Biology, Department of Forensic Medicine, PO Box 40 (Kytösuontie 11) FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jukka U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Palo
mesh_terms: D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe; D005061:Europe, Eastern; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial; D006801:Humans