Population Genetics of Latvians in the Context of Admixture between North-Eastern European Ethnic Groups

Abstract

This article presents a review on population genetics of Latvians, which alongside Lithuanians are the two extant Baltic speaking populations. The article provides a description of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data and contains a comparative analysis of the results of studies performed on classical autosomal genetic markers, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the non-recombining part of the Y chromosome (NRY), with data on neighbouring populations. The study also covers data of recently performed ancient DNA (aDNA) studies carried out on samples from the territory of today’s Latvia. The results of population genetic studies have shown a mixture of eastern and western genetic traits in present-day Latvians with only small differences between Latvian subpopulations. Studies of the Baltic “tribal gene” LWb, as well as the gene’s SERPINA1 allele PIZ have indicated the presence of a considerable Baltic admixture in the neighbouring Finno-Ugric and Slavic populations. Although mtDNA analyses have shown that Latvians genetically in general belong to the same common gene pool as most of the Europeans, the Y-chromosomal lineage composition suggests that they are most similar to Northern and Eastern European populations of Lithuanians, Estonians, and Eastern-Slavic populations, which are ethnogenetically closest to them. The analysis of aDNA from the Early and Middle Neolithic did not present any genomic evidence of gene-flow from Central European farmers or any mitochondrial or Y-chromosomal haplogroups that are typical for them in the hunter-gatherers from the territory of today’s Latvia and Lithuania.

Lactose intolerance and its association with the exogamy degree among the population of eastern Ukraine

“…Зв'язок лактозної непереносимості (ЛН) з мінеральною щільністю кісткової тканини, ризиком переломів та остеопорозом є одним з основних обговорюваних питань, пов'язаних із можливістю засвоювати лактозу. Це важливо для з'ясування генетичної складової остеопорозу, яка представлена рядом генів схильності до розвитку патології [4][5][6][7][8][9].…”

Renal Survival and Validation of Novel International Immunoglobulin a Nephropathy Prediction Tool in Latvian Population: Preliminary Data

“…Review authors about Latvian population genetics observed that the mitochondrial DNA of Latvians is genetically similar in general with that of a majority of other Europeans, but the Y-chromosomal lineage composition suggests that Latvians are more similar to Northern and Eastern European populations like Lithuanians, Estonians, and Eastern Slavic populations due to ethnological proximity to them. Ancient DNA analysis did not observe any genomic evidence of gene flow from Central European farmers, or any typically mitochondrial or Y-chromosome haplogroups for them in hunter gatherers from the territory of today's Latvia and Lithuania (Krûmiòa et al, 2018). Genetic analysis of IgAN progression in the Latvian population could be an important topic of further research in the future.…”

The Early Mediaeval Slav-German border (Limes Sorabicus) in the light of research into Y-chromosome polymorphism in contemporary and historical German populations

“…the part of the human genome present on the 22 pairs of chromosomes other than the so-called X and Y chromosomes determining sex. Individuals within a population (or ethnic group) may show considerable similarities of their autosomal DNA, even as they differ quite markedly from the individuals making up other populations (Sykes, 2007;Lavryashina et al, 2016;Krūmiņa et al, 2018).…”