Population data for 17 Y-chromosome STRs in a sample from Apulia (Southern Italy)

Joint Genetic Analyses of Mitochondrial and Y-Chromosome Molecular Markers for a Population from Northwest China

The genetic markers on mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome can be applied as a powerful tool in population genetics. We present a study to reveal the genetic background of Kyrgyz group, a Chinese ethnic group living in northwest China, and genetic polymorphisms of 60 loci on maternal inherited mtDNA and 24 loci on paternal inherited Y-chromosome short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) were investigated. The relationship between the two systems was tested, and the result indicated that they were statistically independent from each other. The genetic distances between Kyrgyz group and 11 reference populations for mtDNA, and 13 reference populations for Y-STRs were also calculated, respectively. The present results demonstrated that the Kyrgyz group was genetically closer to East Asian populations than European populations based on the mtDNA loci but the other way around for the Y-STRs. The genetic analyses could largely strengthen the understanding for the genetic background of the Kyrgyz group.

Genetic structure in the paternal lineages of South East Spain revealed by the analysis of 17 Y-STRs

The genetic data of 17 Y chromosome short tandem repeats in 146 unrelated donor residents in the provinces of Granada, Málaga, and Almería (GMA) were analyzed to determine the genetic legacy of the male inhabitants of the former Kingdom of Granada. A total of 139 unique haplotypes were identified. Observed allele frequencies and haplogroup frequencies were also analyzed. By AMOVA and STRUCTURE analysis, the populations of the 3 provinces could be treated genetically as a single population. The most frequent haplogroup was R1b1b2 (58.22%). By network analysis of all individuals, we observed a distribution according to haplogroup assignment. To improve the characterization of GMA population, it was compared with those of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and southern Europe. In our analysis of allele frequencies and genetic distances, the GMA population lay within the Spanish population group. Further, in the STRUCTURE analysis, there was no African component in the GMA population, confirming that, based on our genetic markers, the GMA population does not reflect any male genetic influence of the North African people. The presence of African haplogroups in the GMA population is irrelevant when their frequency is compared with those in other European populations.