Y-chromosomal STR haplotypes in Sicily

Croatian national reference Y-STR haplotype database

A reference Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (STR) haplotype database is needed for Y-STR match interpretation as well as for national and regional characterization of populations. The aim of this study was to create a comprehensive Y-STR haplotype database of the Croatian contemporary population and to analyze substructure between the five Croatian regions. We carried out a statistical analysis of the data from previously performed genetic analyses collected during routine forensic work by the Forensic Science Centre "Ivan Vučetić". A total of 1,100 unrelated men from eastern, western, northern, southern and central Croatia were selected for the purpose of this study. Y-STRs were typed using the AmpFISTR Yfiler PCR amplification kit. Analysis of molecular variance calculated with the Y chromosome haplotype reference database online analysis tool included 16 population samples with 20,247 haplotypes. A total of 947 haplotypes were recorded, 848 of which were unique (89.5%). Haplotype diversity was 0.998, with the most frequent haplotype found in 9 of 1,100 men (0.82%). Locus diversity varied from 0.266 for DYS392 to 0.868 for DYS385. Discrimination capacity was 86.1%. Our results suggested high level of similarity among regional subpopulations within Croatia, except for mildly different southern Croatia. Relative resemblance was found with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Whit Atheys' Haplogroup Predictor was used to estimate the frequencies of Y-chromosome haplogroups. I2a, R1a, E1b1b and R1b haplogroups were most frequent in all Croatian regions. These results are important in forensics and contribute to the population genetics and genetic background of the contemporary Croatian population.

Y-STR genetic diversity in autochthonous Andalusians from Huelva and Granada provinces (Spain)

Seventeen Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) were analyzed in 347 healthy, unrelated, autochthonous males from the Andalusian provinces of Huelva (N=167) and Granada (N=180). AmpFlSTR Y-filer PCR Amplification kit (Applied Biosystems) was used to type the Y-STR markers. A total of 156 and 166 different haplotypes for the 17 Y-STR set were detected in Huelva, and Granada, respectively. The same haplotype diversity was found for both samples (0.998±0.001), and the overall discrimination capacity was 0.904. The most common minimal haplotype (DYS19, DYS389 I, DYS389 II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393) in both subpopulations was 14-13-16-24-11-13-13, which is also the most frequent haplotype among Atlantic European populations. Comparison analysis using pairwise R(ST) values and Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) revealed a significant genetic distance between our Andalusian samples and other ones from the northern Iberian fringe (including Basque and Pyrenean populations). However, results from the multi-dimensional scaling analysis (MDS) yielded a well-defined group of Iberian populations separated from the other Mediterranean clusters observed.

Moors and Saracens in Europe: estimating the medieval North African male legacy in southern Europe

To investigate the male genetic legacy of the Arab rule in southern Europe during medieval times, we focused on specific Northwest African haplogroups and identified evolutionary close STR-defined haplotypes in Iberia, Sicily and the Italian peninsula. Our results point to a higher recent Northwest African contribution in Iberia and Sicily in agreement with historical data. southern Italian regions known to have experienced long-term Arab presence also show an enrichment of Northwest African types. The forensic and genomic implications of these findings are discussed.

Genetic sub-structure in western Mediterranean populations revealed by 12 Y-chromosome STR loci

Haplotype and allele frequencies of 12 Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) loci (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385 a/b, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS439) included in the Powerplex(R) Y System were determined in seven western Mediterranean populations from Valencia, Majorca, Ibiza (eastern Spain), Sicily and three Calabrian provinces (southern Italy). Amongst the 554 males included in the study, 443 different haplotypes were observed of which 372 were only observed once. The other haplotypes were shared by two to seven men. The overall haplotype diversity was 0.9988 +/- 0.0002. These Y-STRs markers showed a low capacity of discrimination (56.3%) in the Ibiza population probably due to genetic drift. Comparisons between the populations studied and other neighbouring populations showed a clear genetic sub-structure in the western Mediterranean area.

Analysis of Y-chromosomal SNP haplogroups and STR haplotypes in an Algerian population sample

The distribution of Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplogroups and short tandem repeat (STR) haplotypes was determined in a sample of 102 unrelated men of Arab origin from northwestern Algeria (Oran area). A total of nine different haplogroups were identified by a panel of 22 binary markers. The most common haplogroups observed in the Algerian population were E3b2 (45.1%) and J1 (22.5%). Y-STR typing by a 17-loci multiplex system allowed 93 haplotypes to be defined (88 were unique). Striking differences in the allele distribution and gene diversity of Y-STR markers between haplogroups could be found. In particular, intermediate alleles at locus DYS458 specifically characterized the haplotypes of individuals carrying haplogroup J1. All the intermediate alleles shared a common repeat sequence structure, supporting the hypothesis that the variant originated from a single mutational event.

Testing the hypothesis of an ancient Roman soldier origin of the Liqian people in northwest China: a Y-chromosome perspective

The Liqian people in north China are well known because of the controversial hypothesis of an ancient Roman mercenary origin. To test this hypothesis, 227 male individuals representing four Chinese populations were analyzed at 12 short tandem repeat (STR) loci and 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). At the haplogroup levels, 77% Liqian Y chromosomes were restricted to East Asia. Principal component (PC) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis suggests that the Liqians are closely related to Chinese populations, especially Han Chinese populations, whereas they greatly deviate from Central Asian and Western Eurasian populations. Further phylogenetic and admixture analysis confirmed that the Han Chinese contributed greatly to the Liqian gene pool. The Liqian and the Yugur people, regarded as kindred populations with common origins, present an underlying genetic difference in a median-joining network. Overall, a Roman mercenary origin could not be accepted as true according to paternal genetic variation, and the current Liqian population is more likely to be a subgroup of the Chinese majority Han.