High frequencies of Y chromosome lineages characterized by E3b1, DYS19-11, DYS392-12 in Somali males

Abstract

We genotyped 45 biallelic markers and 11 STR systems on the Y chromosome in 201 male Somalis. In addition, 65 sub-Saharan Western Africans, 59 Turks and 64 Iraqis were typed for the biallelic Y chromosome markers. In Somalis, 14 Y chromosome haplogroups were identified including E3b1 (77.6%) and K2 (10.4%). The haplogroup E3b1 with the rare DYS19-11 allele (also called the E3b1 cluster c) was found in 75.1% of male Somalis, and 70.6% of Somali Y chromosomes were E3b1, DYS19-11, DYS392-12, DYS437-14, DYS438-11 and DYS393-13. The haplotype diversity of eight Y-STRs ('minimal haplotype') was 0.9575 compared to an average of 0.9974 and 0.9996 in European and Asian populations. In sub-Saharan Western Africans, only four haplogroups were identified. The West African clade E3a was found in 89.2% of the samples and the haplogroup E3b1 was not observed. In Turks, 12 haplogroups were found including J2*(xJ2f2) (27.1%), R1b3*(xR1b3d, R1b3f) (20.3%), E3b3 and R1a1*(xR1a1b) (both 11.9%). In Iraqis, 12 haplogroups were identified including J2*(xJ2f2) (29.7%) and J*(xJ2) (26.6%). The data suggest that the male Somali population is a branch of the East African population -closely related to the Oromos in Ethiopia and North Kenya -with predominant E3b1 cluster c lineages that were introduced into the Somali population 4000 -5000 years ago, and that the Somali male population has approximately 15% Y chromosomes from Eurasia and approximately 5% from sub-Saharan Africa.

Human Y chromosome haplogroup R-V88: a paternal genetic record of early mid Holocene trans-Saharan connections and the spread of Chadic languages

“…In the revised Y chromosome phylogeny, there are 119 lineages in the macro-haplogroup K-M9 (which includes haplogroups K1-K4 and L to T). 31 Of these lineages, only two have been observed in sub-Saharan Africa at appreciable frequencies: T-M70 18,41,42 and R-V88 (this study). Both haplogroups have also been observed in Europe and western Asia (Refs 42,43 and this study).…”

Mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosomal stratification in Iran: relationship between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula

“…41,42 Parental groups were assembled as specified in Table 1 for mtDNA and in Supplementary Table 2 for the Y-chromosome. 1,14,18,[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60] To gauge significant deviations from neutral theory, 61 the Ewens-Watterson homozygosity test 62,63 was performed on Iranian mtDNA control region sequences (nucleotide positions 16 019-16 569). In addition, mtDNA control region sequence diversity was evaluated by nucleotide diversity index.…”

Y-chromosome diversity characterizes the Gulf of Oman

“…14 Mitochondrial DNA analyses have been performed on collections from Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen, 5,20 yet the paternal component of this historically and geographically significant region is incomplete. Although Y-chromosome studies have focused on neighboring areas, including Egypt, 4 Somalia, 21 Iraq, 22 Syria and Lebanon 23 as well as on the southern Arabian populations of Oman 4 and Yemen, 24 high resolution Y-chromosome analyses of the Persian and Oman Gulfs are fragmentary.…”