mtDNA variation in the Buryat population of the Barguzin Valley: New insights into the micro-evolutionary history of the Baikal area.

• Published in: Annals of Human Biology
• Main Authors: Gibert, Morgane, Theves, C., Ricaut, F. X., Dambueva, I., Bazarov, B., Moral, P., Crubézy, Eric, Perrucho, M., Felix-Sanchez, M., Sevin, A.
• Other Authors: Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse (AMIS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS), Institute of Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, Instituto Universitario de Investigacion de Nanocienca de Aragon, University of Zaragoza - Universidad de Zaragoza Zaragoza
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2010
• Subjects: archeo; hist; Evenk; Siberia
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3109/03014460903433828; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03007252

International audience BACKGROUND: Southern Siberian populations, including the Buryat, have been of great interest in investigating the exchanges between Eastern and Western Eurasia and understanding the peopling of Siberia and the New World. AIM: Previous studies mainly employed a phylogenetic approach, and thus used pooled samples to detect a maximum of variability. As different sampling strategies may result in different pictures of a population's evolutionary history, we proposed in this study to focus on a local Buryat population selected on the basis of geographical, archaeological and ethno-historical data. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study investigated a local population from the Barguzin Valley, on the north-western shores of Lake Baikal identified as the most likely place of Buryat origin. We analysed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) RFLPs markers, HVS-I and HVS-II sequences to discuss the genetic variability of this population, and to compare our local sample with pooled Buryat samples and neighbouring Siberian populations. RESULTS: The Barguzin Buryat sample shows depressed neutrality scores compared to the pooled Buryat sample, and different genetic affinities with the Mongol and Turco-Evenk populations. CONCLUSION: These results underline the need to use local samples, in addition to pooled samples, to investigate the history of human populations at the micro-evolutionary level.