Population Structure in the Mediterranean Basin: A Y Chromosome Perspective |
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| Authors: | C. Capelli ,N. Redhead,V. Romano,F. Calì ,G. Lefranc,V. Delague,A. Megarbane,A. E. Felice,V. L. Pascali,P. I. Neophytou,Z. Poulli,A. Novelletto,P. Malaspina,L. Terrenato,A. Berebbi,M. Fellous,M. G. Thomas, D. B. Goldstein |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Biology, University College of London, London, UK;Istituto di Medicina Legale,UniversitàCattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy;Department of Biopathology and Biomedical Methodologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy;Oasi Institute for Research on mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy;UniversitéMontpellier II et Institut de Génétique Humaine, CNRS UPR 1142, Montpellier, France;Unitéde Génétique Médicale, Facultéde Médecine, UniversitéSaint-Joseph, Beyrouth, Lebanon;Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Department of Pathology, University of Malta, Malta;Mendel Center for Biomedical Sciences, Eglomi, Nicosia, Cyprus;Cyprus Research Center (KYKEM), Nicosia, Cyprus;Department of Cell Biology, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy;Department of Biology, University "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy;Hematology Institute, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel;Department of Human Genetics, UniversitéParis, Paris, France |
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| Abstract: | The Mediterranean region has been characterised by a number of pre‐historical and historical demographic events whose legacy on the current genetic landscape is still a matter of debate. In order to investigate the degree of population structure across the Mediterranean, we have investigated Y chromosome variation in a large dataset of Mediterranean populations, 11 of which are first described here. Our analyses identify four main clusters in the Mediterranean that can be labelled as North Africa, Arab, Central‐East and West Mediterranean. In particular, Near Eastern samples tend to separate according to the presence of Arab Y chromosome lineages, suggesting that the Arab expansion played a major role in shaping the current genetic structuring within the Fertile Crescent. |
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| Keywords: | Mediterranean Y chromosome population genetic structure STRs UEPs |
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