ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the Y-chromosome haplogroup diversity in the Kuwaiti population to gain a more complete overview of its genetic landscape. METHOD: A sample of 117 males from the Kuwaiti population was studied through the analysis of 22 Y-SNPs. The results were then interpreted in conjunction with those of other populations from the Middle East, South Asia, North and East Africa, and East Europe. RESULTS: The analyzed markers allowed the discrimination of 19 different haplogroups with a diversity of 0.7713. J-M304 was the most frequent haplogroup in the Kuwaiti population (55.5%) followed by E-M96 (18%). They revealed a genetic homogeneity between the Kuwaiti population and those of the Middle East (FST = 6.1%, P-value < 0.0001), although a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances was found (r = 0.41, P-value = 0.009). Moreover, the nonsignificant pairwise FST genetic distances between the Kuwait population on the one hand and the Arabs of Iran and those of Sudan on the other, corroborate the hypothesis of bidirectional gene flow between Arabia and both Iran and Sudan. CONCLUSION: Overall, we have revealed that the Kuwaiti population has experienced significant gene flow from neighboring populations like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and East Africa. Therefore, we have confirmed that the population of Kuwait is genetically coextensive with those of the Middle East.
Subject(s)
Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics , Genetic Variation , Arabs , Emigration and Immigration , Haplotypes , Humans , Kuwait , Male , Phylogeography , Sequence Analysis, DNAABSTRACT
Many studies based on genetic diversity of North African populations have contributed to elucidate the modelling of the genetic landscape in this region. North Africa is considered as a distinct spatial-temporal entity on geographic, archaeological, and historical grounds, which has undergone the influence of different human migrations along its shaping. For instance, Libya, a North African country, was first inhabited by Berbers and then colonized by a variety of ethnic groups like Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and, in recent times, Italians. In this study, we contribute to clarify the genetic variation of Libya and consequently, of North African modern populations, by the study of Libyan male lineages. A total of 22 Y-chromosome-specific SNPs were genotyped in a sample of 175 Libyan males, allowing the characterization of 18 Y-chromosomal haplogroups. The obtained data revealed a predominant Northwest African component represented by haplogroup E-M81 (33.7%) followed by J(xJ1a,J2)-M304 (27.4%), which is postulated to have a Middle Eastern origin. The comparative study with other populations (â¼5,400 individuals from North Africa, Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe) revealed a general genetic homogeneity among North African populations (FST = 5.3 %; P-value < 0.0001). Overall, the Y-haplogroup diversity in Libya and in North Africa is characterized by two genetic components. The first signature is typical of Berber-speaking people (E-M81), the autochthonous inhabitants, whereas the second is (J(xJ1a,J2)-M304), originating from Arabic populations. This is in agreement with the hypothesis of an Arabic expansion from the Middle East, shaping the North African genetic landscape.
Subject(s)
Black People/genetics , Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics , Haplotypes/genetics , Anthropology, Physical , Genetics, Population , Humans , Libya , Male , Microsatellite Repeats/genetics , Phylogeography , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Principal Component AnalysisABSTRACT
Seventeen Y-chromosomal Short Tandem Repeats (Y-STR) included in the AmpFlSTR Y-filer PCR Amplification kit (Applied Biosystems) (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385ab, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635 and GATA H4) were genotyped in a population sample of 176 unrelated males from western Libya (Tripoli region). A total of 142 different haplotypes were found, 124 being unique. Haplotype diversity was 0.9950. Both R(ST) pairwise analyses and multidimensional scaling plot show a close genetic relationship between Tripoli and North African populations.
