Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin
Anthropology
Bulletin
1) Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia; 2) Ku-ban State Medical University, Krasnodar, Russia; 3) Vavilov Institute for General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; 4) V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, Ukraine; 5) Amur State Univer-sity of Humanities and Pedagogy, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia; 6) St. Andrews Georgian University, Tbilisi, Georgia; 7) Institute of Molecular Biology, Yerevan, Armenia
Teuchezh I.E., e-mail: ira_teuchezh@mail.ru; Pocheshkova E.A., e-mail: eapocheshkhova@mail.ru; Shalyaho R., e-mail: shalyaho.roza@yandex.ru; Dibirova Kh., e-mail: hadizha-dibirova@mail.ru; Agdzhoyan Anastasiya T., Ph.D. in Biology, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8776-2934, e-mail: aagdzhoyan@gmail.com; Utevska O.M., e-mail: outevsk@yandex.ua; Kuznetsova M.A., e-mail: kirya7@list.ru; Bogunov Yurij V., Ph.D. in Biology, e-mail: forbogunov@inbox.ru; Shanko A.V., e-mail: shanko@pisem.net; Konkov A.S., e-mail: andrey.s.konkov@gmail.com; Chikkovani N.N., e-mail: nchikovani1971@gmail.com; Yepiskoposyan L.M., e-mail: lepiskop@yahoo.com; Balanovskaya Elena V., D.Sc. in Biology, prof. RAS, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3882-8300, e-mail: balanovska@mail.ru
Objectives: The main goal of this article is to study the genetic structure of the western Caucasian Abhaz-Adyge ethnic groups (Circassians, Abkhazians), populations of the Central Caucasus (Adyghes, Kabardians, Aba-zians) and Transcaucasia (Armenians, Georgians) using a wide range of Y-chromosome markers, and to compare the results obtained with those of the neighboring populations of the Caucasus, Europe and the Middle East. Materials and methods: DNA samples from 1288 informed males, unrelated at the paternal grandfather level, were collected in seven ethnic groups representing North Caucasian and Transcaucasian populations: Adyghes (N=262), Circassians (N=214), Abazians (N=103), Kabardians (N=232), Armenians (N=218), Abkhazians (N=177), and Georgians (N=82). All samples were genotyped for 56 SNP and 17 STR Y-chromosome markers. Results and Discussion: The most frequent haplogroups of Abkaz-Adyghe language family populations are G2a3b-P303, J2-M172 and R1a1-M198. Despite the common origin, the peculiarities of the gene pool are detected for each of the studied Abkaz-Adyghe ethnic groups: they mainly differ in the pattern of Y-haplogroups distribution. The haplogroup G2a3b-P303 is a modal one for the western Circassians (70%), while the remaining subbranches of the haplogroup G2a in this population are encountered at the frequencies of 0–5%. However, the haplogroup G2a3b-P303 is rare in Kabardians (21%), which are eastern Circassians; while the other subbranche of the haplogroup G2a, G2a1a-P18, in this group is detected at the frequency of 10% and is absent in the western Circassians (Adyghes). Since this haplogroup is a modal lineage in the Ossetians (66% in average), its increased frequency in Kabardians might indicate the genetic links between these ethnic groups. The peoples of Transcaucasia (Georgians, Armenians) have high frequency of haplogroup J2-M172 (32%). Among the Abkhaz-Adyghe people this lineage reaches its highest frequency in the Abkhazians (27%), which might be considered as an evidence of their common origin with the peoples of Transcaucasia. The genetic distance matrix and multidimensional scaling plot show close genetic proximity of the Adyghes to the Abkhazians and Abazians (d = 0.21). The aggregate Abkhaz-Adyghe population demonstrates close genetic affinity with the peoples of Transcaucasia (Georgians and Armenians) due to the high frequences of the haplogroups J2-M172 and G2a3b-P303 in their gene pools. The peoples of Dagestan are geneti-cally more distant from the Abkhaz-Adyghe and the Transcaucasian populations than the peoples of the Near East. The registration of the haplogroups J2-M172 и G2a3b-P303 in these groups points out the presence of the Near Eastern substratum in the gene pool of Abkhaz-Adyghe and the Transcaucasian populations. The high frequency of the West Eurasian haplogroup R1a1-M198 plausibly reflects the impact of migration from the Eurasian steppes on the gene pool of the Abkhaz-Adyghe peoples. Conclusion: The Western Caucasian ethnic groups (Circassians, Adyghes, Kabardians, Abkhazians, Aba-zians) form a single cluster with the Transcaucasian populations (Armenians and Georgians), which is revealed while comparing them with the peoples of the Near East, Balkans, and the East Europe. The prevalence of Near Eastern haplogroups in the gene pool of the West, Central Caucasus and Transcaucasia indicates their possible common origin with the populations of the Near East.
Y-chromosome, gene pool, Caucasus, Circassians, Adyghes, Kabardians, Abkhazians, Abazians, Armenians, Georgians
Цит.: Teuchezh I.E., Pocheshkova E.A., Skhalyakho R.A., Dibirova K.D., Agdzhoyan A.T., Utevskaya O.M., Kuznetsova M.A., Bogunov Y.V., Shanko A.V., Konkov A.S., Chikkovani N.N., Yepiskoposyan L.M., Balanovs Gene pools of Abkhaz-Adyghe, Georgian and Armenian populations in their Eurasian context // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2013; 2/2013; с. 49-62
Download text