Investigating the Uniparental Genetic Structure and Population of Sicily and Southern Italy(2014)

[Artek]

Link to the article: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%...e-0096074-t001

Abstract

Due to their strategic geographic location between three different continents, Sicily and Southern Italy have long represented a major Mediterranean crossroad where different peoples and cultures came together over time. However, its multi-layered history of migration pathways and cultural exchanges, has made the reconstruction of its genetic history and population structure extremely controversial and widely debated. To address this debate, we surveyed the genetic variability of 326 accurately selected individuals from 8 different provinces of Sicily and Southern Italy, through a comprehensive evaluation of both Y-chromosome and mtDNA genomes. The main goal was to investigate the structuring of maternal and paternal genetic pools within Sicily and Southern Italy, and to examine their degrees of interaction with other Mediterranean populations. Our findings show high levels of within-population variability, coupled with the lack of significant genetic sub-structures both within Sicily, as well as between Sicily and Southern Italy. When Sicilian and Southern Italian populations were contextualized within the Euro-Mediterranean genetic space, we observed different historical dynamics for maternal and paternal inheritances. Y-chromosome results highlight a significant genetic differentiation between the North-Western and South-Eastern part of the Mediterranean, the Italian Peninsula occupying an intermediate position therein. In particular, Sicily and Southern Italy reveal a shared paternal genetic background with the Balkan Peninsula and the time estimates of main Y-chromosome lineages signal paternal genetic traces of Neolithic and post-Neolithic migration events. On the contrary, despite showing some correspondence with its paternal counterpart, mtDNA reveals a substantially homogeneous genetic landscape, which may reflect older population events or different demographic dynamics between males and females. Overall, both uniparental genetic structures and TMRCA estimates confirm the role of Sicily and Southern Italy as an ancient Mediterranean melting pot for genes and cultures.

I've asked an expert about a few 17-marker R1a haplotypes that were published in here.

One of them is certainly an L1280 (under Z280)(#SSI045, CS), two other haplotypes look like an Old-Carpathian(under Z280), probably even 6.A1B2 (#SSI062 from EN, #SSI086 from TP), but there is a risk, that it can be a less known subcluster under Z93. Two remaining haplotypes are very difficult do associate with certain cluster or clade. One of them can eventually be 6.B2F (under Z280) (#SSI012, CS), but we can wery well expect Z92 (under Z280) (7.B) or Z2123 (under Z93) (9.F3).

From this certain geographical location I would expect mainly Z280 i Z93 (maybe with slight predominance of Z280).

[HellLander87]

Very interesting.There is much and old G hg. E-v13 seems rather recent as r1b U-152 and U-106. R1a seems to be old but it may be a result of multiple migrations. J m410 outnumbers J-m12 unlike the Balkans.

[Artek]

R1a seems to be old but it may be a result of multiple migrations.

You thought right. This TMRCA is correct but R1a already came here in diversity. It's age of existence in Sicily is probably much more recent(later antiquity for most of them, early medieval period for the rest)