Abstract
A set of 18 Y-chromosomal microsatellite loci was analysed in 568 males from Poland, Slovakia and three regions of Belarus. The results were compared to data available for 2,937 Y chromosome samples from 20 other Slavic populations. Lack of relationship between linguistic, geographic and historical relations between Slavic populations and Y-short tandem repeat (STR) haplotype distribution was observed. Two genetically distant groups of Slavic populations were revealed: one encompassing all Western-Slavic, Eastern-Slavic, and two Southern-Slavic populations, and one encompassing all remaining Southern Slavs. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) based on Y-chromosomal STRs showed that the variation observed between the two population groups was 4.3%, and was higher than the level of genetic variance among populations within the groups (1.2%). Homogeneity of northern Slavic paternal lineages in Europe was shown to stretch from the Alps to the upper Volga and involve ethnicities speaking completely different branches of Slavic languages. The central position of the population of Ukraine in the network of insignificant AMOVA comparisons, and the lack of traces of significant contribution of ancient tribes inhabiting present-day Poland to the gene pool of Eastern and Southern Slavs, support hypothesis placing the earliest known homeland of Slavs in the middle Dnieper basin.
Similar content being viewed by others
Log in or create a free account to read this content
Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com
or
References
Balloux F, Lugon-Moulin N (2002) The estimation of population differentiation with microsatellite markers. Mol Ecol 11:155–165
Butler JM (2003) Recent developments in Y-short tandem repeat and Y-single nucleotide polymorphism analysis. Forensic Sci Rev 15:91–111
Caglià A, Tofanelli S, Coia V, Boschi I, Pescarmona M, Spedini G, Pascali V, Paoli G, Destro-Bisol G (2003) A study of Y-chromosome microsatellite variation in sub-Saharan Africa: a comparison between FST and RST genetic distances. Hum Biol 75:313–330
Das B, Chauhan PS, Seshadri M (2004) Minimal sharing of Y-chromosome STR haplotypes among five endogamous population groups from western and southwestern India. Hum Biol 76:743–763
Destro-Bisol G, Spedini G, Pascali VL (2000) Application of different genetic distance methods to microsatellite data. Hum Genet 106:130–132
Encyclopædia Britannica (2006) Slav in Encyclopædia Britannica Online (http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9068162)
Excoffier L, Laval G, Schneider S (2005) Arlequin (version 3.0): an integrated software package for population genetics data analysis. Evol Bioinform Online 1:47–50
Felsenstein J (2004) PHYLIP (Phylogeny Inference Package) version 3.6. Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle
Grek-Pabisowa I (1968) Rosyjska gwara starowierców w województwach olsztyńskim i białostockim. Russian dialect of Old-Believers in the administrative regions of Olsztyn and Bialystok. Ossolineum, Wroclaw
Immel U-D, Krawczak M, Udolph J, Richter A, Rodig H, Kleiber M, Klintschar M (2006) Y-chromosomal STR haplotype analysis reveals surname-associated strata in the East-German population. Eur J Hum Genet 14:577–582
Jobling MA, Tyler-Smith C (2003) The human Y chromosome: an evolutionary marker comes of age. Nat Rev Genet 4:598–612
Kasperavičiūtė D, Kučinskas V, Stoneking M (2004) Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA variation in Lithuanians. Ann Hum Genet 68:438–452
Kayser M, Krawczak M, Excoffier L, Dieltjes P, Corach D, Pascali V, Gehrig C, Bernini LF, Jespersen J, Bakker E, Roewer L, de Knijff P (2001) An extensive analysis of Y-chromosomal microsatellite haplotypes in globally dispersed human populations. Am J Hum Genet 68:990–1018
Kayser M, Lao O, Anslinger K, Augustin C, Bargel G, Edelmann J, Elias S, Heinrich M, Henke J, Henke L, Hohoff C, Illing A, Jonkisz A, Kuzniar P, Lebioda A, Lessig R, Lewicki S, Maciejewska A, Monies DM, Pawłowski R, Poetsch M, Schmid D, Schmidt U, Schneider PM, Stradmann-Bellinghausen B, Szibor R, Wegener R, Wozniak M, Zoledziewska M, Roewer L, Dobosz T, Ploski R (2005) Significant genetic differentiation between Poland and Germany follows present-day political borders, as revealed by Y-chromosome analysis. Hum Genet 117:428–443
Lauc LB, Peričić M, Klarić IM, Šijački A, Popović D, Janićijević B, Rudan P (2005) Y chromosome STR polymorphisms in a Serbian population sample. Forensic Sci Int 150:97–101
Lessig R, Edelmann J, Kleemann WJ, Kozhemyako V (2006) Population data of Y-chromosomal STRs in Russian males of the Primorye region population. Forensic Sci Int 159:71–76
Lovrečić L, Ristić S, Brajenović B, Kapović M, Peterlin B (2005) Human Y-specific STR haplotypes in the Western Croatian population sample. Forensic Sci Int 149:257–261
Malyarchuk B, Derenko M, Grzybowski T, Lunkina A, Czarny J, Rychkov S, Morozova I, Denisova G, Miściska-Śliwka D (2004) Differentiation of mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosomes in Russian populations. Hum Biol 76:877–900
Marjanovic D, Bakal N, Pojskic N, Kapur L, Drobnic K, Primorac D, Bajrovic K, Hadziselimovic R (2005) Population data for the twelve Y-chromosome short tandem repeat loci from the sample of multinational population in Bosnia and Herzegovina. J Forensic Sci 50:223–225
Pepinski W, Niemcunowicz-Janica A, Skawronska M, Koc-Zorawska E, Janica J, Soltyszewski I (2004a) Y-chromosome STR haplotypes in a population sample of the Byelorussian minority living in the northeastern Poland. Forensic Sci Int 140:117–121
Pepinski W, Niemcunowicz-Janica A, Skawronska M, Koc-Zorawska E, Janica J, Soltyszewski I (2004b) Y-chromosome STR haplotypes and alleles in the population sample of Old Believers residing in the Northeastern Poland. Forensic Sci Int 143:65–68
Pérez-Lezaun A, Calafell F, Mateu E, Comas D, Ruiz-Pacheco R, Bertranpetit J (1997) Microsatellite variation and the differentiation of modern humans. Hum Genet 99:1–7
Peričić M, Klarić IM, Lauc LB, Janićijević B, Đorđević D, Efremovska L, Rudan P (2005) Population genetics of 8 Y chromosome STR loci in Macedonians and Macedonian Romani (Gypsy). Forensic Sci Int 154:257–261
Ploski R, Wozniak M, Pawlowski R, Monies DM, Branicki W, Kupiec T, Kloosterman A, Dobosz T, Bosch E, Nowak M, Lessig R, Jobling MA, Roewer L, Kayser M (2002) Homogeneity and distinctiveness of Polish paternal lineages revealed by Y chromosome microsatellite haplotype analysis. Hum Genet 110:592–600
Rębała K, Szczerkowska Z (2005) Polish population study on Y chromosome haplotypes defined by 18 STR loci. Int J Legal Med 119:303–305
Rodig H, Grum M, Grimmecke H-D (2007) Population study and evaluation of 20 Y-chromosome STR loci in Germans. Int J Legal Med 121:24–27
Roewer L, Kayser M, Dieltjes P, Nagy M, Bakker E, Krawczak M, de Knijff P (1996) Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of Y-chromosome-specific microsatellites in two closely related human populations. Hum Mol Genet 5:1029–1033
Roewer L, Krawczak M, Willuweit S, Nagy M, Alves C, Amorim A, Anslinger K, Augustin C, Betz A, Bosch E, Cagliá A, Carracedo A, Corach D, Dekairelle A-F, Dobosz T, Dupuy BM, Füredi S, Gehrig C, Gusmaõ L, Henke J, Henke L, Hidding M, Hohoff C, Hoste B, Jobling MA, Kärgel HJ, de Knijff P, Lessig R, Liebeherr E, Lorente M, Martínez-Jarreta B, Nievas P, Nowak M, Parson W, Pascali VL, Penacino G, Ploski R, Rolf B, Sala A, Schmidt U, Schmitt C, Schneider PM, Szibor R, Teifel-Greding J, Kayser M (2001) Online reference database of European Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) haplotypes. Forensic Sci Int 118:106–113
Roewer L, Croucher PJP, Willuweit S, Lu TT, Kayser M, Lessig R, de Knijff P, Jobling MA, Tyler-Smith C, Krawczak M (2005) Signature of recent historical events in the European Y-chromosomal STR haplotype distribution. Hum Genet 116:279–291
Rolf B, Meyer E, Brinkmann B, de Knijff P (1998) Polymorphism at the tetranucleotide repeat locus DYS389 in 10 populations reveals strong geographic clustering. Eur J Hum Genet 6:583–588
Rootsi S, Magri C, Kivisild T, Benuzzi G, Help H, Bermisheva M, Kutuev I, Barać L, Peričić M, Balanovsky O, Pshenichnov A, Dion D, Grobei M, Zhivotovsky LA, Battaglia V, Achilli A, Al-Zahery N, Parik J, King R, Cinnioğlu C, Khusnutdinova E, Rudan R, Balanovska E, Scheffrahn W, Simonescu M, Brehm A, Goncalves R, Rosa A, Moisan J-P, Chaventre A, Ferak V, Füredi S, Oefner PJ, Shen P, Beckman L, Mikerezi I, Terzić R, Primorac D, Cambon-Thomsen A, Krumina A, Torroni A, Underhill PA, Santachiara-Benerecetti AS, Villems R, Semino O (2004) Phylogeography of Y-chromosome haplogroup I reveals distinct domains of prehistoric gene flow in Europe. Am J Hum Genet 75:128–137
Rosser ZH, Zerjal T, Hurles ME, Adojaan M, Alavantic D, Amorim A, Amos W, Armenteros M, Arroyo E, Barbujani G, Beckman G, Beckman L, Bertranpetit J, Bosch E, Bradley DG, Brede G, Cooper G, Corte-Real HB, de Knijff P, Decorte R, Dubrova YE, Evgrafov O, Gilissen A, Glisic S, Golge M, Hill EW, Jeziorowska A, Kalaydjieva L, Kayser M, Kivisild T, Kravchenko SA, Krumina A, Kucinskas V, Lavinha J, Livshits LA, Malaspina P, Maria S, McElreavey K, Meitinger TA, Mikelsaar AV, Mitchell RJ, Nafa K, Nicholson J, Norby S, Pandya A, Parik J, Patsalis PC, Pereira L, Peterlin B, Pielberg G, Prata MJ, Previdere C, Roewer L, Rootsi S, Rubinsztein DC, Saillard J, Santos FR, Stefanescu G, Sykes BC, Tolun A, Villems R, Tyler-Smith C, Jobling MA (2000) Y-chromosomal diversity in Europe is clinal and influenced primarily by geography rather then by language. Am J Hum Genet 67:1526–1543
Rybakowski JK, Borkowska A, Czerski PM, Hauser J (2002) Eye movement disturbances in schizophrenia and a polymorphism of catechol-O-methyltransferase gene. Psychiatry Res 113:49–57
Schenker AM (1995) The dawn of Slavic: an introduction to Slavic philology. Yale University Press, New Haven
Sedov VV (1970) Slavâne Verhnego Podneprov’â i Podvin’â. The Slavs of the basin of the upper Dnieper and Western Dvina. Nauka, Moscow
Semino O, Passarino G, Oefner PJ, Lin AA, Arbuzova S, Beckman LE, De Benedictis G, Francalacci P, Kouvatsi A, Limborska S, Marcikiæ M, Mika A, Mika B, Primorac D, Santachiara-Benerecetti AS, Cavalli-Sforza LL, Underhill PA (2000) The genetic legacy of Paleolithic Homo sapiens sapiens in extant Europeans: a Y chromosome perspective. Science 290:1155–1159
Slatkin M (1995) A measure of population subdivision based on microsatellite allele frequencies. Genetics 139:457–462
Spiroski M, Arsov T, Krüger C, Willuweit S, Roewer L (2005) Y-chromosomal STR haplotypes in Macedonian population samples. Forensic Sci Int 148:69–73
Weale ME, Yepiskoposyan L, Jager RF, Hovhannisyan N, Khudoyan A, Burbage-Hall O, Bradman N, Thomas MG (2001) Armenian Y chromosome haplotypes reveal strong regional structure within a single ethno-national group. Hum Genet 109:659–674
Weale ME, Weiss DA, Jager RF, Bradman N, Thomas MG (2002) Y chromosome evidence for Anglo-Saxon mass migration. Mol Biol Evol 19:1008–1021
Wiśniewski J (1964) Rozwój osadnictwa na pograniczu polsko-rusko-litewskim od końca XIV do połowy XVII wieku. Development of the settlement in the Polish–Ruthenian–Lithuanian borderland from the end of the 14th century to the middle of the 17th century. Acta Balt Slav 1:115–136
Zerjal T, Beckman L, Beckman G, Mikelsaar A-V, Krumina A, Kučinskas V, Hurles ME, Tyler-Smith C (2001) Geographical, linguistic and cultural influences on genetic diversity: Y-chromosomal distribution in Northern European populations. Mol Biol Evol 18:1077–1087
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Rębała, K., Mikulich, A.I., Tsybovsky, I.S. et al. Y-STR variation among Slavs: evidence for the Slavic homeland in the middle Dnieper basin. J Hum Genet 52, 406–414 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10038-007-0125-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10038-007-0125-6