Y chromosome diversity in Aztlan descendants and its implications for the history of Central Mexico

Summary: Native Mexican populations are crucial for understanding the genetic ancestry of Aztec descendants and coexisting ethnolinguistic groups in the Valley of Mexico and elucidating the population dynamics of the prehistoric colonization of the Americas. Mesoamerican societies were multicultural...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:iScience
Main Authors: Rocío Gómez, Miguel G. Vilar, Marco Antonio Meraz-Ríos, David Véliz, Gerardo Zúñiga, Esther Alhelí Hernández-Tobías, Maria del Pilar Figueroa-Corona, Amanda C. Owings, Jill B. Gaieski, Theodore G. Schurr
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021
Subjects:
Biological sciences
Evolutionary biology
Evolutionary history
Genetics
Genotyping
Science
Q
Canada
Beringia
Siberia
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102487
https://doaj.org/article/5a0b9217cf2d44f19af0a7b74a8a68f6
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Summary:Summary: Native Mexican populations are crucial for understanding the genetic ancestry of Aztec descendants and coexisting ethnolinguistic groups in the Valley of Mexico and elucidating the population dynamics of the prehistoric colonization of the Americas. Mesoamerican societies were multicultural in nature and also experienced significant admixture during Spanish colonization of the region. Despite these facts, Native Mexican Y chromosome diversity has been greatly understudied. To further elucidate their genetic history, we conducted a high-resolution Y chromosome analysis with Chichimecas, Nahuas, Otomies, Popolocas, Tepehuas, and Totonacas using 19 Y-short tandem repeat and 21 single nucleotide polymorphism loci. We detected enormous paternal genetic diversity in these groups, with haplogroups Q-MEH2, Q-M3, Q-Z768, Q-L663, Q-Z780, and Q-PV3 being identified. These data affirmed the southward colonization of the Americas via Beringia and connected Native Mexicans with indigenous populations from South-Central Siberia and Canada. They also suggested that multiple population dispersals gave rise to Y chromosome diversity in these populations.

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