Abstract:Despite the region's complex sociopolitical history and indication for increased genetic diversity over time, we find no evidence for sharp shifts in north Mesopotamian maternal genetic composition within the last 10,000 years.
“…In addition, some sequenced individuals identifying as Kodava, Kodava_US and Nair belong to subclades of macro-haplogroup HV, a major subclade of haplogroup R0 (Shamoon-Pour, Li, and Merriwether 2019). We observe subclades of this haplogroup that have been reported in ancient and present-day individuals from South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, West Asia, central and eastern Europe, and the Caucasus (Narasimhan et al 2019; Derenko et al 2013; Shamoon-Pour, Li, and Merriwether 2019; Al-Zahery et al 2003; Yaka et al 2018; Mathieson et al 2018). One individual identifying as Kodava_US is assigned to haplogroup A1a, a subclade of haplogroup A primarily observed in East Asia (Tanaka et al 2004) that has, to our knowledge, not been reported in Indian populations.…”
India is home to thousands of ethno-linguistically distinct groups, many maintaining strong self-identities that derive from oral traditions and histories. However, these traditions and histories are only partially documented and are in danger of being lost over time. More recently, genetic studies have established the existence of ancestry gradients derived from both western and eastern Eurasia as well as evidence of practices such as endogamy and consanguinity, revealing complexity in the regional population structure with consequences for the health landscape of local populations. Despite the increase in genome-wide data from India, there is still sparse sampling across finer-scale geographic regions leading to gaps in our understanding of how and when present-day genetic structure came into existence. To address the gaps in genetic and oral histories, we analyzed whole-genome sequences of 70 individuals from Southwest India identifying as Bunt, Kodava, and Nair -populations that share unique oral histories and origin narratives- and 78 recent immigrants to the United States with Kodava ancestry as part of a community-led initiative. We additionally generated genome-wide data from 10 individuals self-identifying as Kapla, a population from the same region that is socio-culturally different to the other three study populations. We supplemented existing but limited anthropological records on these populations with oral history accounts narrated by community members and non-member contacts during sampling and subsequent community engagement. Overall, we find that components of genetic ancestry are relatively homogeneous among the Bunt, Kodava, and Nair populations and comparable to neighboring populations in India, which motivates further investigation of non-local origin narratives referenced in their oral histories. A notable exception is the Kapla population, with a higher proportion of ancestry represented in the Onge from the Andaman Islands, similar to several South Indian tribal populations. Utilizing haplotype-based methods, we find latent genetic structure across South India, including the sampled populations from Southwest India, suggesting more recent population structure between geographically proximal populations in the region. This study represents an attempt for community-engaged anthropological and genetic investigations in India and presents results from both sources, underscoring the need to recognize that oral and genetic histories should not be expected to overlap. Ultimately, oral traditions and unique self-identities, such as those held close by some of the study populations, warrant more community-driven anthropological investigations to better understand how they originate and their relationship to genetic histories.
“…In addition, some sequenced individuals identifying as Kodava, Kodava_US and Nair belong to subclades of macro-haplogroup HV, a major subclade of haplogroup R0 (Shamoon-Pour, Li, and Merriwether 2019). We observe subclades of this haplogroup that have been reported in ancient and present-day individuals from South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, West Asia, central and eastern Europe, and the Caucasus (Narasimhan et al 2019; Derenko et al 2013; Shamoon-Pour, Li, and Merriwether 2019; Al-Zahery et al 2003; Yaka et al 2018; Mathieson et al 2018). One individual identifying as Kodava_US is assigned to haplogroup A1a, a subclade of haplogroup A primarily observed in East Asia (Tanaka et al 2004) that has, to our knowledge, not been reported in Indian populations.…”
India is home to thousands of ethno-linguistically distinct groups, many maintaining strong self-identities that derive from oral traditions and histories. However, these traditions and histories are only partially documented and are in danger of being lost over time. More recently, genetic studies have established the existence of ancestry gradients derived from both western and eastern Eurasia as well as evidence of practices such as endogamy and consanguinity, revealing complexity in the regional population structure with consequences for the health landscape of local populations. Despite the increase in genome-wide data from India, there is still sparse sampling across finer-scale geographic regions leading to gaps in our understanding of how and when present-day genetic structure came into existence. To address the gaps in genetic and oral histories, we analyzed whole-genome sequences of 70 individuals from Southwest India identifying as Bunt, Kodava, and Nair -populations that share unique oral histories and origin narratives- and 78 recent immigrants to the United States with Kodava ancestry as part of a community-led initiative. We additionally generated genome-wide data from 10 individuals self-identifying as Kapla, a population from the same region that is socio-culturally different to the other three study populations. We supplemented existing but limited anthropological records on these populations with oral history accounts narrated by community members and non-member contacts during sampling and subsequent community engagement. Overall, we find that components of genetic ancestry are relatively homogeneous among the Bunt, Kodava, and Nair populations and comparable to neighboring populations in India, which motivates further investigation of non-local origin narratives referenced in their oral histories. A notable exception is the Kapla population, with a higher proportion of ancestry represented in the Onge from the Andaman Islands, similar to several South Indian tribal populations. Utilizing haplotype-based methods, we find latent genetic structure across South India, including the sampled populations from Southwest India, suggesting more recent population structure between geographically proximal populations in the region. This study represents an attempt for community-engaged anthropological and genetic investigations in India and presents results from both sources, underscoring the need to recognize that oral and genetic histories should not be expected to overlap. Ultimately, oral traditions and unique self-identities, such as those held close by some of the study populations, warrant more community-driven anthropological investigations to better understand how they originate and their relationship to genetic histories.
“…Reports from Turkey vary greatly (4–24%), but combining 490 samples from five studies puts the average frequency of HV*(xH,V) at 5.1% 14,16–19 . MtDNA data from the ancient Near East is limited, however, aDNA studies have revealed the presence of HV*(xH,V) lineages in Iran (HV), Levant (HV*, HV1b2), southeast Anatolia (HV*, HV8) and South Caucasus (HV*, HV1a, HV12) 15,20–23 . The oldest cases of HV*(xH,V) reported so far are from Tell Halula in Syria (>9 kya) 21 , and Ganj Dareh in Western Iran (8.8 kya) 22 , with the latter individual being the only representative of the ancestral node of HV haplogroup.…”
Of particular significance to human population history in Eurasia are the migratory events that connected the Near East to Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Utilizing 315 HV*(xH,V) mitogenomes, including 27 contemporary lineages first reported here, we found the genetic signatures for distinctive movements out of the Near East and South Caucasus both westward into Europe and eastward into South Asia. The parallel phylogeographies of rare, yet widely distributed HV*(xH,V) subclades reveal a connection between the Italian Peninsula and South Caucasus, resulting from at least two (post-LGM, Neolithic) waves of migration. Many of these subclades originated in a population ancestral to contemporary Armenians and Assyrians. One such subclade, HV1b-152, supports a postexilic, northern Mesopotamian origin for the Ashkenazi HV1b2 lineages. In agreement with ancient DNA findings, our phylogenetic analysis of HV12 and HV14, the two exclusively Asian subclades of HV*(xH,V), point to the migration of lineages originating in Iran to South Asia before and during the Neolithic period. With HV12 being one of the oldest HV subclades, our results support an origin of HV haplogroup in the region defined by Western Iran, Mesopotamia, and the South Caucasus, where the highest prevalence of HV has been found.
“…Although this analysis is compromised by the partly arbitrary nature of haplogroups, it does imply the relative stability of the maternal gene pool, consistent with earlier work in various regions. 27 , 28 , 29 It would also be compatible with stronger genetic drift in the male gene pool and/or higher rates of male mobility, with the most notable effect in the Levant (Figures XXI–XXIII in Document Z1). Figure 6 Uniparental markers and sex-biased admixture (A) Distribution of mtDNA and Y chromosome haplogroups among time periods across all regions of Southwest Asia and the East Mediterranean.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Finally, we tackle the question of possible sex bias in human mobility, given earlier suggestions of long-term matrilineal continuity in the region. 27 , 28 , 29 …”
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