Investigating the Prehistory of Tungusic Peoples of Siberia and the Amur-Ussuri Region with Complete mtDNA Genome Sequences and Y-chromosomal Markers

Abstract

Evenks and Evens, Tungusic-speaking reindeer herders and hunter-gatherers, are spread over a wide area of northern Asia, whereas their linguistic relatives the Udegey, sedentary fishermen and hunter-gatherers, are settled to the south of the lower Amur River. The prehistory and relationships of these Tungusic peoples are as yet poorly investigated, especially with respect to their interactions with neighbouring populations. In this study, we analyse over 500 complete mtDNA genome sequences from nine different Evenk and even subgroups as well as their geographic neighbours from Siberia and their linguistic relatives the Udegey from the Amur-Ussuri region in order to investigate the prehistory of the Tungusic populations. These data are supplemented with analyses of Y-chromosomal haplogroups and STR haplotypes in the Evenks, Evens, and neighbouring Siberian populations. We demonstrate that whereas the North Tungusic Evenks and Evens show evidence of shared ancestry both in the maternal and in the paternal line, this signal has been attenuated by genetic drift and differential gene flow with neighbouring populations, with isolation by distance further shaping the maternal genepool of the Evens. The Udegey, in contrast, appear quite divergent from their linguistic relatives in the maternal line, with a mtDNA haplogroup composition characteristic of populations of the Amur-Ussuri region. Nevertheless, they show affinities with the Evenks, indicating that they might be the result of admixture between local Amur-Ussuri populations and Tungusic populations from the north.

Mitochondrial genome diversity at the Bering Strait area highlights prehistoric human migrations from Siberia to northern North America

“…10,13,[31][32][33] In this connection, we consider challenging the assertion by Tamm et al 34 : 'A novel demographic scenario of relatively recent gene flow from Beringia to deep into western Siberia (Samoyed-speaking Selkups) is the most likely explanation for the phylogeography of haplogroup A2a, which is nested within an otherwise exclusively Native American A2 phylogeny'. The single Selkup mitogenome, attributed to A2a by Tamm et al, 34 indeed belongs to A2a1 (Supplementary Figure S1).…”

Mongolians in the Genetic Landscape of Central Asia: Exploring the Genetic Relations among Mongolians and Other World Populations

“…Hertzberg et al (1989) used an Asian-specific 9-bp deletion of Mitochondrial DNA to support the thesis that an independent group of pre-Polynesian ancestors who colonized into the Pacific were ultimately derived from East Asia. Duggan et al (2013) The uniparental markers show individuals with different haplogroups, some of which are related to haplogroups common in more eastern populations and some of which, especially in ancient DNA, show relationships to more Western Eurasian populations (Zhong et al 2011;Duggan et al 2013;Keyser et al 2009, Keyser-Tracqui et al 2003. However, different studies have used different sets of populations for comparisons making a general conclusion difficult.…”

“…North Central Asian (NCA) populations have been studied by many investigators but are underrepresented in more comprehensive population genetic surveys, such as the HGDP (Cann et al 2002;Rosenberg et al 2002;Li et al 2008) and non-recombining Y chromosome DNA (NRY)] (Chatters et al 2014;Duggan et al 2013;Fedorova et al 2013;Hertzberg et al 1989;Kemp et al 2015; Kitchen et al 2008;Kolman et al 1996;Lell et al 2002;Malyarchuk et al 2011;Malyarchuk et al 2013;Mulligan et al 2008;Nasidze et al 2005;Dulik et al 2012;Shi et al 2013;Starikovskaya et al 2004;Sukernik et al 2012;Raghavan et al 2014a;Volodko et al 2008;Zhong et al 2011;Zhong et al 2010), ancient DNA (aDNA, uniparental and autosomal) (Crubezy et al 2010;Keyser-Tracqui et al 2003, Keyser-Tracqui et al 2006Malyarchuk et al 2011;Raghavan et al 2014b). Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups offer a fairly crude inference of continental ancestry, conveying only information regarding possibly one or two top ancestry components while losing other ancestry information (Emery et al 2015).…”

The complex admixture history and recent southern origins of Siberian populations

“…Furthermore, the mtDNA haplogroups found in South Siberia are shared with other linguistically and culturally unrelated populations as far distant as northern and northeastern Siberia [28,30,32,33]. The populations of the Amur region and the Russian Far East, however, show distinct mtDNA lineages that testify to a separate history with partial links to the New World [33][34][35][36]. Only three recent studies were based on genome-wide data: one focusing on the population history of peoples of northeastern Siberia [37] and the other two focusing on selection involved in cold adaptation by Siberian populations [38] and in adaptation to the meat-rich diet in populations of the Chukotka peninsula [39].…”