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Vilà-Valls L, Abdeli A, Lucas-Sánchez M, Bekada A, Calafell F, Benhassine T, Comas D. Understanding the genomic heterogeneity of North African Imazighen: from broad to microgeographical perspectives. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9979. [PMID: 38693301 PMCID: PMC11063056 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60568-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The strategic location of North Africa has led to cultural and demographic shifts, shaping its genetic structure. Historical migrations brought different genetic components that are evident in present-day North African genomes, along with autochthonous components. The Imazighen (plural of Amazigh) are believed to be the descendants of autochthonous North Africans and speak various Amazigh languages, which belong to the Afro-Asiatic language family. However, the arrival of different human groups, especially during the Arab conquest, caused cultural and linguistic changes in local populations, increasing their heterogeneity. We aim to characterize the genetic structure of the region, using the largest Amazigh dataset to date and other reference samples. Our findings indicate microgeographical genetic heterogeneity among Amazigh populations, modeled by various admixture waves and different effective population sizes. A first admixture wave is detected group-wide around the twelfth century, whereas a second wave appears in some Amazigh groups around the nineteenth century. These events involved populations with higher genetic ancestry from south of the Sahara compared to the current North Africans. A plausible explanation would be the historical trans-Saharan slave trade, which lasted from the Roman times to the nineteenth century. Furthermore, our investigation shows that assortative mating in North Africa has been rare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Vilà-Valls
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amine Abdeli
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Faculté Des Sciences Biologiques, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, Alger, Algeria
| | - Marcel Lucas-Sánchez
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Asmahan Bekada
- Département de Biotechnologie, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Oran 1 (Ahmad Ben Bella), Oran, Algeria
| | - Francesc Calafell
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Traki Benhassine
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Faculté Des Sciences Biologiques, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, Alger, Algeria
| | - David Comas
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
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Lucas-Sánchez M, Abdeli A, Bekada A, Calafell F, Benhassine T, Comas D. The Impact of Recent Demography on Functional Genetic Variation in North African Human Groups. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msad283. [PMID: 38152862 PMCID: PMC10783648 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The strategic location of North Africa has made the region the core of a wide range of human demographic events, including migrations, bottlenecks, and admixture processes. This has led to a complex and heterogeneous genetic and cultural landscape, which remains poorly studied compared to other world regions. Whole-exome sequencing is particularly relevant to determine the effects of these demographic events on current-day North Africans' genomes, since it allows to focus on those parts of the genome that are more likely to have direct biomedical consequences. Whole-exome sequencing can also be used to assess the effect of recent demography in functional genetic variation and the efficacy of natural selection, a long-lasting debate. In the present work, we use newly generated whole-exome sequencing and genome-wide array genotypes to investigate the effect of demography in functional variation in 7 North African populations, considering both cultural and demographic differences and with a special focus on Amazigh (plur. Imazighen) groups. We detect genetic differences among populations related to their degree of isolation and the presence of bottlenecks in their recent history. We find differences in the functional part of the genome that suggest a relaxation of purifying selection in the more isolated groups, allowing for an increase of putatively damaging variation. Our results also show a shift in mutational load coinciding with major demographic events in the region and reveal differences within and between cultural and geographic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Lucas-Sánchez
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amine Abdeli
- Faculté des Sciences Biologiques, Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, Alger, Algeria
| | - Asmahan Bekada
- Département de Biotechnologie, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Oran 1 (Ahmad Ben Bella), Oran, Algeria
| | - Francesc Calafell
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Traki Benhassine
- Faculté des Sciences Biologiques, Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, Alger, Algeria
| | - David Comas
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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Aizpurua-Iraola J, Abdeli A, Benhassine T, Calafell F, Comas D. Whole mitogenomes reveal that NW Africa has acted both as a source and a destination for multiple human movements. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10395. [PMID: 37369751 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37549-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite being enclosed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert, North Africa has been the scenario of multiple human migrations that have shaped the genetic structure of its present-day populations. Despite its richness, North Africa remains underrepresented in genomic studies. To overcome this, we have sequenced and analyzed 264 mitogenomes from the Algerian Chaoui-speaking Imazighen (a.k.a. Berbers) living in the Aurès region. The maternal genetic composition of the Aurès is similar to Arab populations in the region, dominated by West Eurasian lineages with a moderate presence of M1/U6 North African and L sub-Saharan lineages. When focusing on the time and geographic origin of the North African specific clades within the non-autochthonous haplogroups, different geographical neighboring regions contributed to the North African maternal gene pool during time periods that could be attributed to previously suggested admixture events in the region, since Paleolithic times to recent historical movements such as the Arabization. We have also observed the role of North Africa as a source of geneflow mainly in Southern European regions since Neolithic times. Finally, the present work constitutes an effort to increase the representation of North African populations in genetic databases, which is key to understand their history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julen Aizpurua-Iraola
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amine Abdeli
- Laboratorie de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Faculté des Sciences Biologiques, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, Alger, Algeria
| | - Traki Benhassine
- Laboratorie de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Faculté des Sciences Biologiques, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, Alger, Algeria
| | - Francesc Calafell
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Comas
- Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
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Mejri A, Baeta M, Al-Haj-Taib R, Herrera RJ, Benammar-Elgaaied A, de Pancorbo MM, Fadhlaoui-Zid K. Genetic polymorphisms of 17 X-STR loci in two Tunisian populations from Sousse and Makthar. Ann Hum Biol 2022; 49:342-347. [PMID: 36255378 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2022.2136755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tunisia has a complex demographic history of migrations from within Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. However, only one population study based on X-STR markers has been reported so far. AIM To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 17 X-STRs in two Tunisian populations from the cities of Sousse and Makthar, and to reveal the genetic relationships with other reference populations. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 194 unrelated healthy individuals were analysed for 17 X-STR markers. RESULTS Our results indicate that DXS6809 is the most polymorphic locus, whereas DXS6807 is the least informative marker in the populations of Sousse and Makthar. In addition, forensic statistical parameters, such as the power of discrimination in males and females, as well as the mean of exclusion in duos and trios, reveal that the panel of 17 X-STRs is highly informative and useful in different forensic applications. Overall, pairwise genetic distances (Fst) and non-metric MDS plots demonstrate clustering of different populations according to their geographic locations and their historical relationships. CONCLUSION Overall, the study of X-STR markers of the Tunisian populations can help to promote the establishment of a forensic DNA reference database in Tunisia and provide reference for future anthropological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abir Mejri
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology, and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Miriam Baeta
- BIOMICs Research Group, Lascaray Research Center, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Rim Al-Haj-Taib
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology, and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Rene J Herrera
- Department of Molecular Biology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
| | - Amel Benammar-Elgaaied
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology, and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Marian M de Pancorbo
- BIOMICs Research Group, Lascaray Research Center, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Karima Fadhlaoui-Zid
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology, and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.,Department of Biology, College of Science, Taibah University, Al Madinah Al Monawarah, Saudi Arabia.,Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja, University of Jendouba, Beja, Tunisia
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Al-Haj-Taib R, Mejri A, Børsting C, Pereira V, Elkamel S, Herrera RJ, Benammar-Elgaaied A, Fadhlaoui-Zid K. Genetic analysis of sixteen autosomal STR loci in three Tunisian populations from Makthar, Nabeul and Sousse. Ann Hum Biol 2022; 48:590-597. [DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2022.2032338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rim Al-Haj-Taib
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - Abir Mejri
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - Claus Børsting
- Section of Forensic Genetics, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.
| | - Vania Pereira
- Section of Forensic Genetics, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.
| | - Sarra Elkamel
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - Rene J. Herrera
- Department of Molecular Biology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA
| | - Amel Benammar-Elgaaied
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - Karima Fadhlaoui-Zid
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathologies, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Taibah University, Al Madinah Al Monawarah, Saudi Arabia
- Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja, University of Jendouba, Beja, Tunisia
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Mitochondrial DNA and Alzheimer's disease: a first case-control study of the Tunisian population. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 49:1687-1700. [PMID: 34854014 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06978-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder in humans and presents a major health problem throughout the world. The etiology of AD is complex, and many factors are implicated, including mitochondria. Mitochondrial alteration has been proposed as a possible cause of AD. Therefore, several studies have focused on finding an association between inherited mitochondrial DNA variants and AD onset. METHODS In this study, we looked, for the first time, for a potential association between mitochondrial haplogroups or polymorphisms and AD in the Tunisian population. We also evaluated the distribution of the major genetic risk factor for AD, the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE ε4), in this population. In total, 159 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups were genotyped in 254 individuals (58 patients and 196 controls). An additional genotyping of APOE ε4 was performed. RESULTS No significant association between mitochondrial haplogroups and AD was found. However, two individual SNPs, A5656G (p = 0.03821, OR = 10.46) and A13759G (p = 0.03719, OR = 10.78), showed a significant association with AD. APOE 4 was confirmed as a risk factor for AD (p = 0.000014). CONCLUSION Our findings may confirm the absence of a relation between mitochondrial haplogroups and AD and support the possible involvement of some inherited variants in the pathogenicity of AD.
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Whole-exome analysis in Tunisian Imazighen and Arabs shows the impact of demography in functional variation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21125. [PMID: 34702931 PMCID: PMC8548440 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00576-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Human populations are genetically affected by their demographic history, which shapes the distribution of their functional genomic variation. However, the genetic impact of recent demography is debated. This issue has been studied in different populations, but never in North Africans, despite their relevant cultural and demographic diversity. In this study we address the question by analyzing new whole-exome sequences from two culturally different Tunisian populations, an isolated Amazigh population and a close non-isolated Arab-speaking population, focusing on the distribution of functional variation. Both populations present clear differences in their variant frequency distribution, in general and for putatively damaging variation. This suggests a relevant effect in the Amazigh population of genetic isolation, drift, and inbreeding, pointing to relaxed purifying selection. We also discover the enrichment in Imazighen of variation associated to specific diseases or phenotypic traits, but the scarce genetic and biomedical data in the region limits further interpretation. Our results show the genomic impact of recent demography and reveal a clear genetic differentiation probably related to culture. These findings highlight the importance of considering cultural and demographic heterogeneity within North Africa when defining population groups, and the need for more data to improve knowledge on the region's health and disease landscape.
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Silva M, Oteo-García G, Martiniano R, Guimarães J, von Tersch M, Madour A, Shoeib T, Fichera A, Justeau P, Foody MGB, McGrath K, Barrachina A, Palomar V, Dulias K, Yau B, Gandini F, Clarke DJ, Rosa A, Brehm A, Flaquer A, Rito T, Olivieri A, Achilli A, Torroni A, Gómez-Carballa A, Salas A, Bryk J, Ditchfield PW, Alexander M, Pala M, Soares PA, Edwards CJ, Richards MB. Biomolecular insights into North African-related ancestry, mobility and diet in eleventh-century Al-Andalus. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18121. [PMID: 34518562 PMCID: PMC8438022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95996-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Historical records document medieval immigration from North Africa to Iberia to create Islamic al-Andalus. Here, we present a low-coverage genome of an eleventh century CE man buried in an Islamic necropolis in Segorbe, near Valencia, Spain. Uniparental lineages indicate North African ancestry, but at the autosomal level he displays a mosaic of North African and European-like ancestries, distinct from any present-day population. Altogether, the genome-wide evidence, stable isotope results and the age of the burial indicate that his ancestry was ultimately a result of admixture between recently arrived Amazigh people (Berbers) and the population inhabiting the Peninsula prior to the Islamic conquest. We detect differences between our sample and a previously published group of contemporary individuals from Valencia, exemplifying how detailed, small-scale aDNA studies can illuminate fine-grained regional and temporal differences. His genome demonstrates how ancient DNA studies can capture portraits of past genetic variation that have been erased by later demographic shifts-in this case, most likely the seventeenth century CE expulsion of formerly Islamic communities as tolerance dissipated following the Reconquista by the Catholic kingdoms of the north.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Silva
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK.
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
| | - Gonzalo Oteo-García
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK.
| | - Rui Martiniano
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | - João Guimarães
- Department of Biology, CBMA (Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | | | - Ali Madour
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Tarek Shoeib
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
- Department of Forensic Science, Faculty of Biomedical Science, University of Benghazi, P.O. Box: 1308, Benghazi, Libya
| | - Alessandro Fichera
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Pierre Justeau
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - M George B Foody
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Krista McGrath
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
- Department of Prehistory and Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Amparo Barrachina
- Servei d'Investigacions Arqueològiques i Prehistòriques - Museu Belles Arts de Castelló, Av. Germans Bou, 28, 12003, Castellón, Spain
| | - Vicente Palomar
- Museo Municipal de Arqueología y Etnología de Segorbe, Calle Colón, 98, 12400, Segorbe, Castellón, Spain
| | - Katharina Dulias
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
- Institut für Geosysteme und Bioindikation, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19c, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Bobby Yau
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Francesca Gandini
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Douglas J Clarke
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Alexandra Rosa
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Madeira, Campus of Penteada, 9000-390, Funchal, Portugal
- Human Genetics Laboratory, University of Madeira, Campus of Penteada, 9000-390, Funchal, Portugal
| | - António Brehm
- Human Genetics Laboratory, University of Madeira, Campus of Penteada, 9000-390, Funchal, Portugal
| | - Antònia Flaquer
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, LMU University, Munich, Germany
| | - Teresa Rito
- Department of Biology, CBMA (Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Anna Olivieri
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "L. Spallanzani, Università di Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Achilli
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "L. Spallanzani, Università di Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Antonio Torroni
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "L. Spallanzani, Università di Pavia, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alberto Gómez-Carballa
- Grupo de Investigacion en Genetica, Vacunas, Infecciones y Pediatria (GENVIP), Hospital Clínico Universitario and Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- GenPoB Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago (SERGAS), 15706, Galicia, Spain
| | - Antonio Salas
- Grupo de Investigacion en Genetica, Vacunas, Infecciones y Pediatria (GENVIP), Hospital Clínico Universitario and Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
- GenPoB Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago (SERGAS), 15706, Galicia, Spain
- Unidade de Xenética, Instituto de Ciencias Forenses (INCIFOR), Facultade de Medicina, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
| | - Jaroslaw Bryk
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Peter W Ditchfield
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3TG, UK
| | | | - Maria Pala
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Pedro A Soares
- Department of Biology, CBMA (Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability (IB-S), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Ceiridwen J Edwards
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Martin B Richards
- Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK.
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Insights into the Middle Eastern paternal genetic pool in Tunisia: high prevalence of T-M70 haplogroup in an Arab population. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15728. [PMID: 34344940 PMCID: PMC8333252 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95144-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
To obtain refreshed insights into the paternal lineages of Tunisian populations, Y-chromosome diversity was assessed in two populations belonging to an Arab genealogical lineage, Kairouan and Wesletia, as well as in four Tunisian Andalusian populations, Testour, Slouguia, Qalaat-El-Andalous and El Alia. The Arabs from Kairouan revealed 73.47% of E-M81 and close affinities with Berber groups, indicating they are likely arabized Berbers, clearly differentiated from the Arabs from Wesletia, who harbored the highest frequency (71.8%) of the Middle Eastern component ever observed in North Africa. In the Tunisian Andalusians, the North African component largely prevailed, followed by the Middle Eastern contribution. Global comparative analysis highlighted the heterogeneity of Tunisian populations, among which, as a whole, dominated a set of lineages ascribed to be of autochthonous Berber origin (71.67%), beside a component of essentially Middle Eastern extraction (18.35%), and signatures of Sub-Saharan (5.2%), European (3.45%) and Asiatic (1.33%) contributions. The remarkable frequency of T-M70 in Wesletia (17.4%) prompted to refine its phylogeographic analysis, allowing to confirm its Middle Eastern origin, though signs of local evolution in Northern Africa were also detected. Evidence was clear on the ancient introduction of T lineages into the region, probably since Neolithic times associated to spread of agriculture.
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10
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Lucas-Sánchez M, Serradell JM, Comas D. Population history of North Africa based on modern and ancient genomes. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 30:R17-R23. [PMID: 33284971 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Compared with the rest of the African continent, North Africa has provided limited genomic data. Nonetheless, the genetic data available show a complex demographic scenario characterized by extensive admixture and drift. Despite the continuous gene flow from the Middle East, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, an autochthonous genetic component that dates back to pre-Holocene times is still present in North African groups. The comparison of ancient and modern genomes has evidenced a genetic continuity in the region since Epipaleolithic times. Later population movements, especially the gene flow from the Middle East associated with the Neolithic, have diluted the genetic autochthonous component, creating an east to west gradient. Recent historical movements, such as the Arabization, have also contributed to the genetic landscape observed currently in North Africa and have culturally transformed the region. Genome analyses have not shown evidence of a clear correlation between cultural and genetic diversity in North Africa, as there is no genetic pattern of differentiation between Tamazight (i.e. Berber) and Arab speakers as a whole. Besides the gene flow received from neighboring areas, the analysis of North African genomes has shown that the region has also acted as a source of gene flow since ancient times. As a result of the genetic uniqueness of North African groups and the lack of available data, there is an urgent need for the study of genetic variation in the region and its implications in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Lucas-Sánchez
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose M Serradell
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Comas
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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11
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Anagnostou P, Dominici V, Battaggia C, Boukhchim N, Ben Nasr J, Boussoffara R, Cancellieri E, Marnaoui M, Marzouki M, Bel Haj Brahim H, Bou Rass M, di Lernia S, Destro Bisol G. Berbers and Arabs: Tracing the genetic diversity and history of Southern Tunisia through genome wide analysis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:697-708. [PMID: 32936953 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Tunisia has been a crossroads for people from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East since prehistoric times. At present, it is inhabited by two main ethnic groups, Arabs and Berbers, and several minorities. This study aims to advance knowledge regarding their genetic structure using new population samplings and a genome-wide approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated genomic variation, estimated ancestry components and dated admixture events in three Berber and two Arab populations from Southern Tunisia, mining a dataset including Middle Eastern, sub-Saharan, and European populations. RESULTS Differences in the proportion of North African, Arabian, and European ancestries and the varying impact of admixture and isolation determined significant heterogeneity in the genetic structure of Southern Tunisian populations. Admixture time estimates show a multilayer pattern of admixture events, involving both ethno-linguistic groups, which started around the mid XI century and lasted for nearly five centuries. DISCUSSION Our study provides evidence that the relationships between genetic and cultural diversity of old and new inhabitants of North Africa in southern Tunisia follow different patterns. The Berbers seem to have preserved a significant part of their common genomic heritage despite Islamization, Arab cultural influence, and linguistic diversity. Compared to Morocco and Algeria, southern Tunisian Arabs have retained a higher level of Arabian ancestry. This is more evident in the semi-nomad R'Baya, who have kept their original Bedouin lifestyle, than in the population from Douz, who have undergone multiple events of stratification and admixture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Anagnostou
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy.,Istituto Italiano di Antropologia, Italy
| | - Valentina Dominici
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy
| | - Cinzia Battaggia
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy
| | - Nouri Boukhchim
- Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Université de Kairouan, Kairouan, Tunisia.,Laboratoire LMAIM, LR99ES01, Université de Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Jaâfar Ben Nasr
- Département d'Archéologie (FLSHK), LR 13 ES 11/ UR 16 ES 01, Université de Kairouan, Tunisia
| | | | | | - Marwa Marnaoui
- Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichità, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy
| | - Meriem Marzouki
- Higher institute of fine arts, Department of Space Design, University of Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia
| | | | | | - Savino di Lernia
- Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichità, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy.,GAES, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Giovanni Destro Bisol
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy.,Istituto Italiano di Antropologia, Italy
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12
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Ethnogenetic analysis reveals that Kohistanis of Pakistan were genetically linked to west Eurasians by a probable ancestral genepool from Eurasian steppe in the bronze age. Mitochondrion 2019; 47:82-93. [PMID: 31103559 DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite the unique geographic, ethnic, social and cultural features of Kohistan in Pakistan, the origin and descent of Kohistanis remain still obscure. In an effort to address questions concerning the genetic structure, origin and genetic affinities of Kohistanis, we herein applied an ethnogenetic approach consisting on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis and dental morphology analysis. We sequenced HVS1 of mtDNA, observed 14 haplotypes and assigned a total of 9 haplogroups belonging to macrolineages M (17%) and N (83%). Genetic diversity estimates in Kohistanis (Hd = 0.910 ± 0.014; Pi = 0.019 ± 0.001; θw = 0.019 ± 0.006) were similar to that of previous studies in other Pakistani populations. Overall, the analyses of dental morphology and mtDNA profile of Kohistanis resulted in similar findings. All the analyses indicate that Kohistanis share affinities to populations from Europe, Near East, Central Asia and South Asia. The Kohistani HVS1 haplotype 2 shares 100% identity to HVS1 haplotypes across the Europe. These results in light of recent insights into ancient genomics lead us to conclude that ancestry from Eurasian Steppe genetically linked Kohistanis to all these populations in the Bronze Age. This is consistent with linguistic evidence and also with the Indo-Aryan migration model for the peopling of South Asia.
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13
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Elloumi-Zghal H, Chaabouni Bouhamed H. Genetics and genomic medicine in Tunisia. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2018; 6:134-159. [PMID: 29663716 PMCID: PMC5902400 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetics and genomic medicine in Tunisia.
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14
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Font-Porterias N, Solé-Morata N, Serra-Vidal G, Bekada A, Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Zalloua P, Calafell F, Comas D. The genetic landscape of Mediterranean North African populations through complete mtDNA sequences. Ann Hum Biol 2018; 45:98-104. [DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2017.1413133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Neus Font-Porterias
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Neus Solé-Morata
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gerard Serra-Vidal
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Asmahan Bekada
- Département de Biotechnologie, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Oran 1 (Ahmad Ben Bella), Oran, Algeria
| | - Karima Fadhlaoui-Zid
- Laboratoire de Génetique, Immunologie et Pathologies Humaines, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Univesritaire El Manar II, Université El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Pierre Zalloua
- School of Medicine, The Lebanese American University, Chouran, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Francesc Calafell
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Comas
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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15
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Ben Halim N, Hsouna S, Lasram K, Chargui M, Khemira L, Saidane R, Abdelhak S, Kefi R. Mitochondrial DNA structure of an isolated Tunisian Berber population and its relationship with Mediterranean populations. Ann Hum Biol 2018; 45:86-97. [DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2017.1414875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nizar Ben Halim
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, Institut Pasteur in Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
- University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Sana Hsouna
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, Institut Pasteur in Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
- University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Khaled Lasram
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, Institut Pasteur in Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
- University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Mariem Chargui
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, Institut Pasteur in Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
- University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Laaroussi Khemira
- Association de Sauvegarde de la Nature et de Protection de l’Environnement à Douiret (ASNAPED), Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Rachid Saidane
- Association de Sauvegarde de la Nature et de Protection de l’Environnement à Douiret (ASNAPED), Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Sonia Abdelhak
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, Institut Pasteur in Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
- University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Rym Kefi
- Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics, Institut Pasteur in Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
- University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
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16
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Elkamel S, Boussetta S, Khodjet-El-Khil H, Benammar Elgaaied A, Cherni L. Ancient and recent Middle Eastern maternal genetic contribution to North Africa as viewed by mtDNA diversity in Tunisian Arab populations. Am J Hum Biol 2018; 30:e23100. [PMID: 29359455 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Through previous mitochondrial DNA studies, the Middle Eastern maternal genetic contribution to Tunisian populations appears limited. In fact, most of the studied communities were cosmopolitan, or of Berber or Andalusian origin. To provide genetic evidence for the actual contribution of Middle Eastern mtDNA lineages to Tunisia, we focused on two Arab speaking populations from Kairouan and Wesletia known to belong to an Arab genealogical lineage. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 114 samples were sequenced for the mtDNA HVS-I and HVS-II regions. Using these data, we evaluated the distribution of Middle Eastern haplogroups in the study populations, constructed interpolation maps, and established phylogenetic networks allowing estimation of the coalescence time for three specific Middle Eastern subclades (R0a, J1b, and T1). RESULTS Both studied populations displayed North African genetic structure and Middle Eastern lineages with a frequency of 12% and 28.12% in Kairouan and Wesletia, respectively. TMRCA estimates for haplogroups T1a, R0a, and J1b in Tunisian Arabian samples were around 15 000 YBP, 9000 to 5000 YBP, and 960 to 600 YBP, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The Middle Eastern maternal genetic contribution to Tunisian populations, as to other North African populations, occurred mostly in deep prehistory. They were brought in different migration waves during the Upper Paleolithic, probably with the expansion of Iberomaurusian culture, and during Epipaleolithic and Early Neolithic periods, which are concomitant with the Capsian civilization. Middle Eastern lineages also came to Tunisia during the recent Islamic expansion of the 7th CE and the subsequent massive Bedouin migration during the 11th CE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarra Elkamel
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - Sami Boussetta
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - Houssein Khodjet-El-Khil
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - Amel Benammar Elgaaied
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia
| | - Lotfi Cherni
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, 2092, Tunisia.,High Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir, Monastir, 5000, Tunisia
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17
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Ancient mitogenomes of Phoenicians from Sardinia and Lebanon: A story of settlement, integration, and female mobility. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190169. [PMID: 29320542 PMCID: PMC5761892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Phoenicians emerged in the Northern Levant around 1800 BCE and by the 9th century BCE had spread their culture across the Mediterranean Basin, establishing trading posts, and settlements in various European Mediterranean and North African locations. Despite their widespread influence, what is known of the Phoenicians comes from what was written about them by the Greeks and Egyptians. In this study, we investigate the extent of Phoenician integration with the Sardinian communities they settled. We present 14 new ancient mitogenome sequences from pre-Phoenician (~1800 BCE) and Phoenician (~700–400 BCE) samples from Lebanon (n = 4) and Sardinia (n = 10) and compare these with 87 new complete mitogenomes from modern Lebanese and 21 recently published pre-Phoenician ancient mitogenomes from Sardinia to investigate the population dynamics of the Phoenician (Punic) site of Monte Sirai, in southern Sardinia. Our results indicate evidence of continuity of some lineages from pre-Phoenician populations suggesting integration of indigenous Sardinians in the Monte Sirai Phoenician community. We also find evidence of the arrival of new, unique mitochondrial lineages, indicating the movement of women from sites in the Near East or North Africa to Sardinia, but also possibly from non-Mediterranean populations and the likely movement of women from Europe to Phoenician sites in Lebanon. Combined, this evidence suggests female mobility and genetic diversity in Phoenician communities, reflecting the inclusive and multicultural nature of Phoenician society.
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18
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Frigi S, Mota-Vieira L, Cherni L, van Oven M, Pires R, Boussetta S, El-Gaaied ABA. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Tunisians reveals a mosaic genetic structure with recent population expansion. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2017; 68:298-315. [PMID: 28838744 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2017.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Tunisia is a country of great interest for human population genetics due to its strategic geographic position and rich human settlement history. These factors significantly contributed to the genetic makeup of present-day Tunisians harbouring components of diverse geographic origins. Here, we investigated the genetic structure of Tunisians by performing a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) comparison of 15 Tunisian population groups, in order to explore their complex genetic landscape. All Tunisian data were also analysed against 40 worldwide populations. Statistical results (Tajima's D and Fu's FS tests) suggested recent population expansion for the majority of studied populations, as well as showed (AMOVA test) that all populations were significantly different from each other, which is evidence of population structure even if it is not guided by geographic and ethnic effects. Gene flow analysis revealed the assignment of Tunisians to multiple ancestries, which agrees with their genetic heterogeneity. The resulting picture for the mtDNA pool confirms the evidence of a recent expansion of the Tunisian population and is in accordance with a mosaic structure, composed by North African, Middle Easterner, European and Sub-Saharan lineages, resulting from a complex settlement history.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Frigi
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia
| | - L Mota-Vieira
- Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espírito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPER, Avenida D. Manuel I, 9500-370 Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal; Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, 6, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
| | - L Cherni
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia; Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Monastir, University of Monastir, 5000 Monastir, Tunisia
| | - M van Oven
- Turkooislaan 60, 3523 GN Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - R Pires
- Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espírito Santo of Ponta Delgada, EPER, Avenida D. Manuel I, 9500-370 Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
| | - S Boussetta
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia
| | - A Ben Ammar El-Gaaied
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia
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19
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Hajjej A, Almawi WY, Hattab L, Hmida S. Anthropological analysis of Tunisian populations as inferred from HLA class I and class II genetic diversity: A meta-analysis. Immunol Lett 2017; 185:12-26. [PMID: 28274795 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2017.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Revised: 02/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite their importance, anthropological meta-analyses which allow for comprehensive evaluation of the relationships of a given population were rare. This meta-analysis evaluates the origin of Tunisians using polymorphic profile of HLA class I (A, B), and class II (DRB1, DQB1) genes, in historical, social and cultural context, and is the only analysis in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. A total of 20 eligible populations were selected from several databases, and included representing 2553 Tunisian individuals, who were compared with Mediterranean and sub-Saharan populations. In total, 204 HLA alleles were detected in Tunisians, which comprised 54 HLA-A, 76 HLA-B, 50 DRB1, and 24 DQB1 alleles. The most frequent alleles were A*02:01(24.72%) in Berbers of Zrawa, B*50:01 (13.90.11%) in Tunisian-So, DRB1*07:01 (28.66%) in Ghannouchians, and DQB1*02:01 (42.79%) in Tunisians-H. The A, B, DRB, and DQB1 genotypes of 420 individuals were further subjected to a selection study. Despite the relatively large sample size, the loci depicted non-significant negative Fnd values, an indication of overall trend to balancing selection or gene flow. Except for Berbers of Djerba, dendrograms, correspondence analyses, genetic distances and haplotype analysis demonstrated the close relatedness of Berbers, Southern and Northern Tunisians, and strong relatedness was evident to Western Mediterranean, North African and Iberian populations, but not Sub-Saharans and Eastern Mediterranean populations, including Arabs. Collectively, this suggests that the contribution of Arabs and sub-Saharans to the present Tunisian gene pool is low. In addition, all Mediterranean populations depict a typical Mediterranean substratum, except for Greeks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelhafidh Hajjej
- Department of Immunogenetics, National Blood Transfusion Center, Tunis, Tunisia.
| | - Wassim Y Almawi
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
| | - Lasmar Hattab
- Department of Medical Analysis, Regional Hospital of Gabes, Tunisia
| | - Slama Hmida
- Department of Immunogenetics, National Blood Transfusion Center, Tunis, Tunisia
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20
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Kefi R, Hechmi M, Naouali C, Jmel H, Hsouna S, Bouzaid E, Abdelhak S, Beraud-Colomb E, Stevanovitch A. On the origin of Iberomaurusians: new data based on ancient mitochondrial DNA and phylogenetic analysis of Afalou and Taforalt populations. Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal 2016; 29:147-157. [PMID: 28034339 DOI: 10.1080/24701394.2016.1258406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The Western North African population was characterized by the presence of Iberomaurusian civilization at the Epiplaeolithic period (around 20,000 years before present (YBP) to 10,000 YBP). The origin of this population is still not clear: they may come from Europe, Near East, sub-Saharan Africa or they could have evolved in situ in North Africa. With the aim to contribute to a better knowledge of the settlement of North Africa we analysed the mitochondrial DNA extracted from Iberomaurusian skeletons exhumed from the archaeological site of Afalou (AFA) (15,000-11,000 YBP) in Algeria and from the archaeological site of Taforalt (TAF) (23,000-10,800 YBP) in Morocco. Then, we carried out a phylogenetic analysis relating these Iberomaurusians to 61 current Mediterranean populations. The genetic structure of TAF and AFA specimens contains only North African and Eurasian maternal lineages. These finding demonstrate the presence of these haplotypes in North Africa from at least 20,000 YBP. The very low contribution of a Sub-Saharan African haplotype in the Iberomaurusian samples is confirmed. We also highlighted the existence of genetic flows between Southern and Northern coast of the Mediterranean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rym Kefi
- a Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics , Institut Pasteur de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia.,b University Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Meriem Hechmi
- a Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics , Institut Pasteur de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Chokri Naouali
- a Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics , Institut Pasteur de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia.,b University Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Haifa Jmel
- a Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics , Institut Pasteur de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Sana Hsouna
- a Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics , Institut Pasteur de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia.,b University Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Eric Bouzaid
- c Institut National de Police Scientifique Laboratoire de Marseille , Marseille , France
| | - Sonia Abdelhak
- a Laboratory of Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics , Institut Pasteur de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia.,b University Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | | | - Alain Stevanovitch
- c Institut National de Police Scientifique Laboratoire de Marseille , Marseille , France
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21
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Hajjej A, Almawi WY, Hattab L, El-Gaaied A, Hmida S. The investigation of the origin of Southern Tunisians using HLA genes. J Hum Genet 2016; 62:419-429. [PMID: 27881842 DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2016.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Revised: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The south of Tunisia is characterized by marked ethnic diversity, highlighted by the coexistence of native Berbers with Blacks, Jews and Arab-speaking populations. Despite this heterogeneity, genetic anthropology studies investigating the origin of current Southern Tunisians were rarely reported. We examined human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I (A, B) and class II (DRB1, DQB1) gene profiles of 250 unrelated Southern Tunisians, and compared them with those of Arab-speaking communities, along with Mediterranean and sub-Sahara African populations using genetic distances, neighbor-joining dendrograms, correspondence and haplotype analysis. In total, 137 HLA alleles were detected, which comprised 32 HLA-A, 52 HLA-B, 32 DRB1 and 21 DQB1 alleles. The most frequent alleles were HLA-A*02:01(18.02%), HLA-B*50:01 (9.11%), HLA-DRB1*07:01 (22.06%) and HLA-DQB1*02:01 (17.21%). All pairs of HLA loci show significant linkage disequilibrium. The four loci depict negative Fnd (the normalized deviate of the homozygosity) values indicating an overall trend to balancing selection. Southern Tunisians appear to be closely related to others Tunisian populations including Berbers, North Africans and Iberians. On the contrary, Southern Tunisians were distinct from Palestinian, Lebanese and Jordanian Middle Eastern Arab-speaking population, despite the deep Arab incursions and Arabization that affected Southern Tunisia. In addition, Southern Tunisians were distant from many sub-Saharan communities, evidenced by genetic distance analysis. Collectively, this indicates a limited genetic contribution of Arab invasion and Black caravans on the makeup of Southern Tunisian gene pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelhafidh Hajjej
- Department of Immunogenetics, National Blood Transfusion Center, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Wassim Y Almawi
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
| | - Lasmar Hattab
- Department of Medical Analysis, Regional Hospital of Gabes, Gabes, Tunisia
| | - Amel El-Gaaied
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, Department of Biology, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Slama Hmida
- Department of Immunogenetics, National Blood Transfusion Center, Tunis, Tunisia
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22
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Elkamel S, Cherni L, Alvarez L, Marques SL, Prata MJ, Boussetta S, Benammar-Elgaaied A, Khodjet-El-Khil H. The Orientalisation of North Africa: New hints from the study of autosomal STRs in an Arab population. Ann Hum Biol 2016; 44:180-190. [DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2016.1205135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarra Elkamel
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Lotfi Cherni
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
- High Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
| | - Luis Alvarez
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde/Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sofia L. Marques
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde/Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Prata
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde/Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sami Boussetta
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Amel Benammar-Elgaaied
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Houssein Khodjet-El-Khil
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculté de Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
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Simón M, Díaz N, Solórzano E, Montiel R, Francalacci P, Malgosa A. Dissecting mitochondrial dna variability of balearic populations from the bronze age to the current era. Am J Hum Biol 2016; 29. [PMID: 27292871 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Revised: 05/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine ancient population influences on ancient and current Balearic populations and to reconstruct their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene pool evolution. METHODS We analyzed 239 individuals belonging to five archaeological populations from Majorca and Minorca, four dating to the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, and one Late Roman Majorcan population. Six additional individuals from Santa Teresa di Gallura from the Nuragic period were characterized and added to the existing samples from that culture to make comparisons with Talaiotic populations. RESULTS We characterized the haplogroups of 138 individuals and obtained 69 sequences from mtDNA hypervariable region I. In the intra-island study, the apparent differences in social and funerary rites between two contiguous Majorcan necropolises were correlated with genetic characteristics. Also, the likely occurrence of consanguinity in a population with a very particular burial pattern was supported by genetic data. Despite the uniqueness of each necropolis, the global comparison of the five necropolises revealed no significant differences between them, or between ancient and modern populations from the islands. Ancient Balearics showed a similar mtDNA gene pool to Ancient Catalans, had a Near Eastern component, and showed continuity with European populations since at least the Bronze Age. CONCLUSION We characterized five Balearic necropolises in the context of their geographic and cultural characteristics. The similarity between ancient Balearic and ancient Catalan gene pools reinforces their known historic interactions, while the lack of a consistent genetic continuity with Ancient Sardinians suggests that Talaiotic and Nuragic cultures arose in differentiated populations. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 29:e22883, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Simón
- Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Departament BABVE, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
| | - Nancy Díaz
- Universidad de los Andes. Avenida 3, Independencia. Edificio el Rectorado, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela
| | - Eduvigis Solórzano
- Universidad de los Andes. Avenida 3, Independencia. Edificio el Rectorado, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela
| | - Rafael Montiel
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, CINVESTAV-IPN. Km. 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera Irapuato, Irapuato, 36821, Mexico
| | - Paolo Francalacci
- Universitá di Sassari, Piazza D'Armi, 17, Sassari, SS, 07100, Italia
| | - Assumpció Malgosa
- Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Departament BABVE, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain
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Messina F, Scano G, Contini I, Martínez-Labarga C, De Stefano GF, Rickards O. Linking between genetic structure and geographical distance: Study of the maternal gene pool in the Ethiopian population. Ann Hum Biol 2016; 44:53-69. [PMID: 26883569 DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2016.1155646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Background The correlation between genetics and geographical distance has already been examined through the study of the dispersion of human populations, especially in terms of uniparental genetic markers. Aim The present work characterises, at the level of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), two new samples of Amhara and Oromo populations from Ethiopia to evaluate the possible pattern of distribution for mtDNA variation and to test the hypothesis of the Isolation-by-Distance (IBD) model among African, European and Middle-Eastern populations. Subjects and methods This study analysed 173 individuals belonging to two ethnic groups of Ethiopia, Amhara and Oromo, by assaying HVS-I and HVS-II of mtDNA D-loop and informative coding region SNPs of mtDNA. Results The analysis suggests a relationship between genetic and geographic distances, affirming that the mtDNA pool of Africa, Europe and the Middle East might be coherent with the IBD model. Moreover, the mtDNA gene pools of the Sub-Saharan African and Mediterranean populations were very different. Conclusion In this study the pattern of mtDNA distribution, beginning with the Ethiopian plateau, was tested in the IBD model. It could be affirmed that, on a continent scale, the mtDNA pool of Africa, Europe and the Middle East might fall under the IBD model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Messina
- a Center of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Study, Department of Biology , University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica n. 1 , 00133 Rome , Italy
| | - Giuseppina Scano
- a Center of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Study, Department of Biology , University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica n. 1 , 00133 Rome , Italy
| | - Irene Contini
- a Center of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Study, Department of Biology , University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica n. 1 , 00133 Rome , Italy
| | - Cristina Martínez-Labarga
- a Center of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Study, Department of Biology , University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica n. 1 , 00133 Rome , Italy
| | - Gian Franco De Stefano
- a Center of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Study, Department of Biology , University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica n. 1 , 00133 Rome , Italy
| | - Olga Rickards
- a Center of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Study, Department of Biology , University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica n. 1 , 00133 Rome , Italy
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Rhouma FB, Messai H, Hsouna S, Halim NB, Cherif W, Fadhel SB, Tiar A, Nagara M, Azzouz H, Sfar MT, Dridi MFB, Tebib N, Ayadi A, Abdelhak S, Kefi R. History of settlement of villages from Central Tunisia by studying families sharing a common founder Glycogenosis type III mutation. Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal 2015; 27:3194-8. [PMID: 26704523 DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2015.1007331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Glycogen storage disease type III (GSD III; Cori disease; Forbes disease) is an autosomal recessive inherited metabolic disorder resulting from deficient glycogen debrancher enzyme activity in liver and muscle. In this study, we focused on a single AGL gene mutation p.W1327X in 16 Tunisian patients from rural area surrounding the region of Mahdia in Central Tunisia. This constitutes the largest pool of patients with this mutation ever described. This study was performed to trace the history of the patients' ancestries in a single region. After extraction of genomic DNA, exon 31 of AGL gene was sequenced. The patients were investigated for the hypervariable segment 1 of mitochondrial DNA and 17 Y-STR markers. We found that the p.W1327X mutation was a founder mutation in Tunisia Analysis of maternal lineages shows an admixture of autochthonous North African, sub-Saharan and a predominance of Eurasian haplogroups. Heterogeneity of maternal haplogroups indicates an ancient settlement. However, paternal gene flow was highly homogeneous and originates from the Near East. We hypothesize that the p.W1327X mutation was introduced into the Tunisian population probably by a recent migration event; then the mutation was fixed in a small region due to the high rate of consanguineous marriages and genetic drift. The screening for this mutation should be performed in priority for GSD III molecular diagnosis, for patients from the region of Mahdia and those from regions sharing the same settlement history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faten Ben Rhouma
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Habib Messai
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Sana Hsouna
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Nizar Ben Halim
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Wafa Cherif
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Sihem Ben Fadhel
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Afaf Tiar
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Majdi Nagara
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Hatem Azzouz
- c Département de Pédiatrie , Hôpital La Rabta de Tunis, Unité des maladies métaboliques héréditaires , Tunis , Tunisia .,d Faculté de Médecine de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia , and
| | | | - Marie-Françoise Ben Dridi
- c Département de Pédiatrie , Hôpital La Rabta de Tunis, Unité des maladies métaboliques héréditaires , Tunis , Tunisia .,d Faculté de Médecine de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia , and
| | - Neji Tebib
- c Département de Pédiatrie , Hôpital La Rabta de Tunis, Unité des maladies métaboliques héréditaires , Tunis , Tunisia .,d Faculté de Médecine de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia , and
| | - Abdelkarim Ayadi
- e Département de Pédiatrie , Hôpital Tahar Sfar , Mahdia , Tunisia
| | - Sonia Abdelhak
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Rym Kefi
- a Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Laboratoire de Genomique Biomedicale et Oncogenetique LR11IPT05 , Tunis , Tunisia .,b Université Tunis El Manar , Tunis , Tunisia
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Ben Halim N, Dorboz I, Kefi R, Kharrat N, Eymard-Pierre E, Nagara M, Romdhane L, Ben Alaya-Bouafif N, Rebai A, Miladi N, Boespflug-Tanguy O, Abdelhak S. Determination of arylsulfatase A pseudodeficiency allele and haplotype frequency in the Tunisian population. Neurol Sci 2015; 37:403-9. [PMID: 26577183 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-015-2417-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Arylsulfatase A (ASA) is a lysosomal enzyme involved in the catabolism of cerebroside sulfate. ASA deficiency is associated with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). Low ASA activities have also been reported in a more common condition with no apparent clinical consequences termed ASA pseudo-deficiency (ASA-PD) which is associated with two linked mutations in the ASA gene (c.1049A>G and c.*96A>G). This study aimed to investigate the frequency of the two ASA-PD variants and their linkage disequilibrium (LD) among Tunisians. ASA-PD variants were detected in 129 healthy Tunisians and their frequencies were compared to those described worldwide. The frequency of the PD allele was estimated at 17.4% for the overall sample, with c.1049A>G and c.*96A>G frequencies of 25.6 and 17.4%, respectively. This study also revealed a high LD between the two ASA-PD variants (r(2) = 0.61). Inter-population analysis revealed similarities in the ASA-PD genetic structure between Tunisians and populations from Middle East with c.*96A>G frequencies being the highest in the world. A significant North vs. South genetic differentiation in the ASA-PD frequency was also observed in Tunisian population who seems genetically intermediate between Africans, Middle-Easterners and Europeans. This is the first report on the allele frequency of the ASA-PD in North Africa, revealing a relatively high frequency of the PD allele among Tunisians. This study gives also evidence on the importance of discriminating ASA-PD allele from pathological mutations causing MLD and supporting enzymatic activity testing with both sulfatiduria determination and genetic testing in the differential diagnosis of MLD in the Tunisian population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nizar Ben Halim
- Laboratoire de Génomique Biomédicale et Oncogénétique, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, BP 74, 13 Place Pasteur, 1002, Tunis, Belvédère, Tunisia.
| | - Imen Dorboz
- Child Neurological Diseases Unit, Faculty of Medicine, 1007, Tunis, Tunisia.,INSERM U676, 75935, Paris Cedex 19, France
| | - Rym Kefi
- Laboratoire de Génomique Biomédicale et Oncogénétique, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, BP 74, 13 Place Pasteur, 1002, Tunis, Belvédère, Tunisia
| | - Najla Kharrat
- Bioinformatics Unit, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Eleonore Eymard-Pierre
- Faculté de Médecine, INSERM UMR 931, GReD, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France.,Department of Genetics and Cytogenetics, CHU de Clermont-Ferrand, 63003, Clermont-Ferrand Cedax 1, France
| | - Majdi Nagara
- Laboratoire de Génomique Biomédicale et Oncogénétique, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, BP 74, 13 Place Pasteur, 1002, Tunis, Belvédère, Tunisia
| | - Lilia Romdhane
- Laboratoire de Génomique Biomédicale et Oncogénétique, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, BP 74, 13 Place Pasteur, 1002, Tunis, Belvédère, Tunisia
| | | | - Ahmed Rebai
- Bioinformatics Unit, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Najoua Miladi
- Child Neurological Diseases Unit, Faculty of Medicine, 1007, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Odile Boespflug-Tanguy
- INSERM U676, 75935, Paris Cedex 19, France.,Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Centre de Reference « leucodystrophies », Hôpital Robert Debré, 75019, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75205, Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Sonia Abdelhak
- Laboratoire de Génomique Biomédicale et Oncogénétique, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, BP 74, 13 Place Pasteur, 1002, Tunis, Belvédère, Tunisia
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27
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Bekada A, Arauna LR, Deba T, Calafell F, Benhamamouch S, Comas D. Genetic Heterogeneity in Algerian Human Populations. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138453. [PMID: 26402429 PMCID: PMC4581715 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The demographic history of human populations in North Africa has been characterized by complex processes of admixture and isolation that have modeled its current gene pool. Diverse genetic ancestral components with different origins (autochthonous, European, Middle Eastern, and sub-Saharan) and genetic heterogeneity in the region have been described. In this complex genetic landscape, Algeria, the largest country in Africa, has been poorly covered, with most of the studies using a single Algerian sample. In order to evaluate the genetic heterogeneity of Algeria, Y-chromosome, mtDNA and autosomal genome-wide makers have been analyzed in several Berber- and Arab-speaking groups. Our results show that the genetic heterogeneity found in Algeria is not correlated with geography or linguistics, challenging the idea of Berber groups being genetically isolated and Arab groups open to gene flow. In addition, we have found that external sources of gene flow into North Africa have been carried more often by females than males, while the North African autochthonous component is more frequent in paternally transmitted genome regions. Our results highlight the different demographic history revealed by different markers and urge to be cautious when deriving general conclusions from partial genomic information or from single samples as representatives of the total population of a region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asmahan Bekada
- Département de Biotechnologie, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Oran 1 (Ahmad Ben Bella), Oran, Algeria
| | - Lara R. Arauna
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tahria Deba
- Centre de Transfusion Sanguine- Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire d’Oran (CTS-CHUO), Oran, Algeria
| | - Francesc Calafell
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Soraya Benhamamouch
- Département de Biotechnologie, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Oran 1 (Ahmad Ben Bella), Oran, Algeria
| | - David Comas
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Hsouna S, Ben Halim N, Lasram K, Meiloud G, Arfa I, Kerkeni E, Romdhane L, Jamoussi H, Bahri S, Ben Ammar S, Abid A, Barakat A, Houmeida A, Abdelhak S, Kefi R. Study of the T16189C variant and mitochondrial lineages in Tunisian and overall Mediterranean region. Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal 2015; 27:1558-63. [PMID: 25208176 DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2014.953136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variant T16189C has been investigated in several metabolic diseases. In this study, we aimed to estimate the frequency of the T16189C variant in Tunisian and other Mediterranean populations and to evaluate the impact of this variant on the phylogeny of Mediterranean populations. Blood sample of 240 unrelated Tunisian subjects were recruited from several Tunisian localities. The hypervariable region 1 of the mtDNA were amplified and sequenced. Additional sequences (N = 4921) from Mediterranean populations were compiled from previous studies. The average frequency of T16189C variant in Tunisia (29%) is similar to that observed in North African and Near Eastern populations. Our findings showed positive correlation of the T16189C variant with Sub-Saharan and North African lineages, while a negative correlation was found with the Eurasian haplogroups, reaching its maximum with the Eurasian haplogroup H. The principal component analyses showed a high internal heterogeneity between Tunisian localities. At the Mediterranean scale, Tunisians are closer to North African (Algerian and Moroccan) and Near Eastern populations (Syrians and Palestinians) than to Europeans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Hsouna
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Nizar Ben Halim
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Khaled Lasram
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Ghlana Meiloud
- b Laboratoire de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire , Faculté des Sciences et Techniques , Nouakchott , Mauritania
| | - Imen Arfa
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Emna Kerkeni
- c Genetics Laboratory, Faculté de Médecine de Monastir , Monastir , Tunisia
| | - Lilia Romdhane
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Henda Jamoussi
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Sonia Bahri
- e Department of Biochemistry , Institut Pasteur de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia , and
| | - Slim Ben Ammar
- e Department of Biochemistry , Institut Pasteur de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia , and
| | - Abdelmajid Abid
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia .,d Service de Consultation Externe et Exploration Fonctionnelle, Institut National de Nutrition , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Abdelhamid Barakat
- f Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire Humaine, Département de Recherche Scientifique , Institut Pasteur du Maroc , Casablanca , Morocco
| | - Ahmed Houmeida
- b Laboratoire de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire , Faculté des Sciences et Techniques , Nouakchott , Mauritania
| | - Sonia Abdelhak
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
| | - Rym Kefi
- a Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia
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Amir N, Sahnoune M, Chikhi L, Atmani D. STR-based genetic structure of the Berber population of Bejaia (Northern Algeria) and its relationships to various ethnic groups. Gene 2015; 574:140-8. [PMID: 26253162 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2014] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/02/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Patterns of genetic variation in human populations have been described for decades. However, North Africa has received little attention and Algeria, in particular, is poorly studied, Here we genotyped a Berber-speaking population from Algeria using 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818 and FGA from the commercially available AmpF/STR Identifiler kit. Altogether 150 unrelated North Algerian individuals were sampled across 10 administrative regions or towns from the Bejaia Wilaya (administrative district). We found that all of the STR loci met Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations, after Bonferroni correction and that the Berber-speaking population of Bejaia presented a high level of observed heterozygosity for the 15 STR system (>0.7). Genetic parameters of forensic interest such as combined power of discrimination (PD) and combined probability of exclusion (PE) showed values higher than 0.999, suggesting that this set of STRs can be used for forensic studies. Our results were also compared to those published for 42 other human populations analyzed with the same set. We found that the Bejaia sample clustered with several North African populations but that some geographically close populations, including the Berber-speaking Mozabite from Algeria were closer to Near-Eastern populations. While we were able to detect some genetic structure among samples, we found that it was not correlated to language (Berber-speaking versus Arab-speaking) or to geography (east versus west). In other words, no significant genetic differences were found between the Berber-speaking and the Arab-speaking populations of North Africa. The genetic closeness of European, North African and Near-Eastern populations suggest that North Africa should be integrated in models aiming at reconstructing the demographic history of Europe. Similarly, the genetic proximity with sub-Saharan Africa is a reminder of the links that connect all African regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadir Amir
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000 Algeria
| | - Mohamed Sahnoune
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie et Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000 Algeria
| | - Lounes Chikhi
- CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, ENFA; UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique); 118, Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France; Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, CNRS; UMR5174 EDB, F-31062 Toulouse, France; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, n°6, 2780-56 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Djebbar Atmani
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, 06000 Algeria.
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Pardiñas AF, Martínez JL, Roca A, García-Vazquez E, López B. Over the sands and far away: interpreting an Iberian mitochondrial lineage with ancient Western African origins. Am J Hum Biol 2014; 26:777-83. [PMID: 25130626 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2013] [Revised: 07/11/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES There is an ongoing effort to characterize the genetic links between Africa and Europe, mostly using lineages and haplotypes that are specific to one continent but had an ancient origin in the other. Mitochondrial DNA has been proven to be a very useful tool for this purpose since a high number of putatively European-specific variants of the African L* lineages have been defined over the years. Due to their geographic locations, Spain and Portugal seem to be ideal places for searching for these lineages. METHODS Five members of a minor branch of haplogroup L3f were found in recent DNA samplings in the region of Asturias (Northern Spain), which is known for its historical isolation. The frequency of L3f in this population (≈1%) is unexpectedly high in comparison with other related lineages in Europe. Complete mitochondrial DNA sequencing of these L3f lineages, as well phylogenetic and phylogeographic comparative analyses have been performed. RESULTS The L3f variant found in Asturias seems to constitute an Iberian-specific haplogroup, distantly related to lineages in Northern Africa and with a deep ancestry in Western Africa. Coalescent algorithms estimate the minimum arrival time as 8,000 years ago, and a possible route through the Gibraltar Strait. CONCLUSIONS Results are concordant with a previously proposed Neolithic connection between Southern Europe and Western Africa, which might be key to the proper understanding of the ancient links between these two continents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio F Pardiñas
- Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo, Asturias, 33071, Spain
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Secher B, Fregel R, Larruga JM, Cabrera VM, Endicott P, Pestano JJ, González AM. The history of the North African mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U6 gene flow into the African, Eurasian and American continents. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:109. [PMID: 24885141 PMCID: PMC4062890 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-14-109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2013] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome analyses have greatly improved the phylogeny and phylogeography of human mtDNA. Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U6 has been considered as a molecular signal of a Paleolithic return to North Africa of modern humans from southwestern Asia. Results Using 230 complete sequences we have refined the U6 phylogeny, and improved the phylogeographic information by the analysis of 761 partial sequences. This approach provides chronological limits for its arrival to Africa, followed by its spreads there according to climatic fluctuations, and its secondary prehistoric and historic migrations out of Africa colonizing Europe, the Canary Islands and the American Continent. Conclusions The U6 expansions and contractions inside Africa faithfully reflect the climatic fluctuations that occurred in this Continent affecting also the Canary Islands. Mediterranean contacts drove these lineages to Europe, at least since the Neolithic. In turn, the European colonization brought different U6 lineages throughout the American Continent leaving the specific sign of the colonizers origin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ana M González
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
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Gebremeskel EI, Ibrahim ME. Y-chromosome E haplogroups: their distribution and implication to the origin of Afro-Asiatic languages and pastoralism. Eur J Hum Genet 2014; 22:1387-92. [PMID: 24667790 PMCID: PMC4231410 DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2014.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Revised: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Archeological and paleontological evidences point to East Africa as the likely area of early evolution of modern humans. Genetic studies also indicate that populations from the region often contain, but not exclusively, representatives of the more basal clades of mitochondrial and Y-chromosome phylogenies. Most Y-chromosome haplogroup diversity in Africa, however, is present within macrohaplogroup E that seem to have appeared 21 000-32 000 YBP somewhere between the Red Sea and Lake Chad. The combined analysis of 17 bi-allelic markers in 1214 Y chromosomes together with cultural background of 49 populations displayed in various metrics: network, multidimensional scaling, principal component analysis and neighbor-joining plots, indicate a major contribution of East African populations to the foundation of the macrohaplogroup, suggesting a diversification that predates the appearance of some cultural traits and the subsequent expansion that is more associated with the cultural and linguistic diversity witnessed today. The proto-Afro-Asiatic group carrying the E-P2 mutation may have appeared at this point in time and subsequently gave rise to the different major population groups including current speakers of the Afro-Asiatic languages and pastoralist populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyoab I Gebremeskel
- 1] Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan [2] Department of Biology, Eritrea Institute of Technology, Mai-Nefhi, Eritrea
| | - Muntaser E Ibrahim
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
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Kefi R, Hsouna S, Ben Halim N, Lasram K, Romdhane L, Messai H, Abdelhak S. Phylogeny and genetic structure of Tunisians and their position within Mediterranean populations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 26:593-604. [PMID: 24491098 DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2013.879649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Tunisia is located at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. This position might lead to numerous waves of migrations, contributing to the current genetic landscape of Tunisians. In this study, we analyzed 815 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from Tunisia in order to characterize the mitochondrial DNA genetic structure of this region, to construct the processes for its composition and to compare it to other Mediterranean populations. To that end, additional 4206 mtDNA sequences were compiled from previous studies performed in African (1237), Near Eastern (231) and European (2738) populations. Both phylogenetic and statistical analyses were performed. This study confirmed the mosaic genetic structure of the Tunisian population with the predominance of the Eurasian lineages, followed by the Sub-Saharan and North African lineages. Among Tunisians, the highest haplogroup and haplotype diversity were observed in particular in the Capital Tunis. No significant differentiation was observed between both geographical (Northern versus Southern Tunisia) and different ethnic groups in Tunisia. Our results highlight the presence of outliers and most frequent unique sequences in Tunisia (10.2%) compared to 45 Mediterranean populations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the majority of Tunisian localities were closer to North Africans and Near Eastern populations than to Europeans. The exception was found for Berbers from Jerba which are clustered with Sardinians and Valencians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rym Kefi
- Biomedical Genomics and Oncogenetics Laboratory (LR 11 IPT 05), Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Université El Manar de Tunis , Tunis , Tunisia and
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Hernández CL, Reales G, Dugoujon JM, Novelletto A, Rodríguez JN, Cuesta P, Calderón R. Human maternal heritage in Andalusia (Spain): its composition reveals high internal complexity and distinctive influences of mtDNA haplogroups U6 and L in the western and eastern side of region. BMC Genet 2014; 15:11. [PMID: 24460736 PMCID: PMC3905667 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2156-15-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The archeology and history of the ancient Mediterranean have shown that this sea has been a permeable obstacle to human migration. Multiple cultural exchanges around the Mediterranean have taken place with presumably population admixtures. A gravitational territory of those migrations has been the Iberian Peninsula. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of the maternal gene pool, by means of control region sequencing and PCR-RFLP typing, of autochthonous Andalusians originating from the coastal provinces of Huelva and Granada, located respectively in the west and the east of the region. Results The mtDNA haplogroup composition of these two southern Spanish populations has revealed a wide spectrum of haplogroups from different geographical origins. The registered frequencies of Eurasian markers, together with the high incidence and diversification of African maternal lineages (15% of the total mitochondrial variability) among Huelva Andalusians when compared to its eastwards relatives of Granada and other Iberian populations, constitute relevant findings unknown up-to-date on the characteristics of mtDNA within Andalusia that testifies a female population substructure. Therefore, Andalusia must not be considered a single, unique population. Conclusions The maternal legacy among Andalusians reflects distinctive local histories, pointing out the role of the westernmost territory of Peninsular Spain as a noticeable recipient of multiple and diverse human migrations. The obtained results underline the necessity of further research on genetic relationships in both sides of the western Mediterranean, using carefully collected samples from autochthonous individuals. Many studies have focused on recent North African gene flow towards Iberia, yet scientific attention should be now directed to thoroughly study the introduction of European genes in northwest Africa across the sea, in order to determine its magnitude, timescale and methods, and to compare them to those terrestrial movements from eastern Africa and southwestern Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rosario Calderón
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
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Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Haber M, Martínez-Cruz B, Zalloua P, Benammar Elgaaied A, Comas D. Genome-wide and paternal diversity reveal a recent origin of human populations in North Africa. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80293. [PMID: 24312208 PMCID: PMC3842387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The geostrategic location of North Africa as a crossroad between three continents and as a stepping-stone outside Africa has evoked anthropological and genetic interest in this region. Numerous studies have described the genetic landscape of the human population in North Africa employing paternal, maternal, and biparental molecular markers. However, information from these markers which have different inheritance patterns has been mostly assessed independently, resulting in an incomplete description of the region. In this study, we analyze uniparental and genome-wide markers examining similarities or contrasts in the results and consequently provide a comprehensive description of the evolutionary history of North Africa populations. Our results show that both males and females in North Africa underwent a similar admixture history with slight differences in the proportions of admixture components. Consequently, genome-wide diversity show similar patterns with admixture tests suggesting North Africans are a mixture of ancestral populations related to current Africans and Eurasians with more affinity towards the out-of-Africa populations than to sub-Saharan Africans. We estimate from the paternal lineages that most North Africans emerged ∼15,000 years ago during the last glacial warming and that population splits started after the desiccation of the Sahara. Although most North Africans share a common admixture history, the Tunisian Berbers show long periods of genetic isolation and appear to have diverged from surrounding populations without subsequent mixture. On the other hand, continuous gene flow from the Middle East made Egyptians genetically closer to Eurasians than to other North Africans. We show that genetic diversity of today's North Africans mostly captures patterns from migrations post Last Glacial Maximum and therefore may be insufficient to inform on the initial population of the region during the Middle Paleolithic period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karima Fadhlaoui-Zid
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Pompeu Fabra University), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Laboratoire de Génétique, Immunologie et Pathologies Humaines, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire El Manar II, Université el Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Marc Haber
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Pompeu Fabra University), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- The Lebanese American University, Chouran, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Begoña Martínez-Cruz
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Pompeu Fabra University), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pierre Zalloua
- The Lebanese American University, Chouran, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Amel Benammar Elgaaied
- Laboratoire de Génétique, Immunologie et Pathologies Humaines, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire El Manar II, Université el Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - David Comas
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Pompeu Fabra University), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Podgorná E, Soares P, Pereira L, Černý V. The Genetic Impact of the Lake Chad Basin Population in North Africa as Documented by Mitochondrial Diversity and Internal Variation of the L3e5 Haplogroup. Ann Hum Genet 2013; 77:513-23. [DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2013] [Accepted: 08/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eliška Podgorná
- Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics; Faculty of Science; Charles University; Prague Czech Republic
| | - Pedro Soares
- IPATIMUP (Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto); Porto Portugal
| | - Luísa Pereira
- IPATIMUP (Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto); Porto Portugal
- Faculdade de Medicina, da Universidade do Porto; Portugal
| | - Viktor Černý
- Archaeogenetics Laboratory; Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Prague Czech Republic
- Institute for Advanced Study; Paris France
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Ammar M, Bouchlaka-Souissi C, Helms C, Zaraa I, Jordan C, Anbunathan H, Bouhaha R, Kouidhi S, Doss N, Dhaoui R, Ben Osman A, Ben Ammar El Gaied A, Marrakchi R, Mokni M, Bowcock A. Genome-wide linkage scan for psoriasis susceptibility loci in multiplex Tunisian families. Br J Dermatol 2013; 168:583-7. [DOI: 10.1111/bjd.12050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Gaibar M, Esteban ME, Via M, Harich N, Kandil M, Fernández-Santander A. Usefulness of autosomal STR polymorphisms beyond forensic purposes: data on Arabic- and Berber-speaking populations from central Morocco. Ann Hum Biol 2013; 39:297-304. [PMID: 22747069 DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2012.697578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This work describes, for the first time, the profile of Middle Atlas Berbers and Arabic-speaking central Moroccans for 15 autosomal STR loci widely used in forensic sciences. AIM The main objectives were to determine the degree of heterogeneity among different Moroccan samples to identify geographic or linguistic patterns and to evaluate the usefulness of forensic STRs in anthropological studies. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Blood samples were collected from 71 Arabic-speakers and 75 Berbers from the regions of Doukkala (central-west coast) and Khenifra (Middle Atlas), respectively. The AmpFlSTR Identifier kit was used to genotype 15 autosomal STR in both samples. RESULTS Middle Atlas Berbers showed slightly higher genetic variation values compared to Arabic-speakers, both in the number of alleles and heterozygosity. In order to assess population relationships, data from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, Syria, South-Spain and Turkey were included in the analysis. Within Morocco, genetic distances followed a clear geographic pattern. In the Arabic-speaking sample the genetic proportion of 'Arabian' admixture was estimated in 13%. CONCLUSION The low value of admixture suggests that the Arabization of Morocco had a reduced demographic impact, which should be taken with caution because it is based on autosomal STRs with low inter-population variation levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gaibar
- Departamento de CC. Biomédicas Básicas, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid, Spain
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Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Chennakrishnaiah S, Zemni R, Grinberg S, Herrera RJ, Benammar-Elgaaied A. Sousse, Tunisia: Tumultuous history and high Y-STR diversity. Electrophoresis 2012; 33:3555-63. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201200361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2012] [Revised: 08/08/2012] [Accepted: 08/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ramzi Zemni
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics; Faculty of Medicine of Sousse; University of Sousse; Tunisia
| | - Sagy Grinberg
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics; College of Medicine; Florida International University; Miami; FL; USA
| | - Rene J. Herrera
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics; College of Medicine; Florida International University; Miami; FL; USA
| | - Amel Benammar-Elgaaied
- Laboratory of Genetics; Immunology, and Human Pathologies; Faculty of Science of Tunis; University Tunis El Manar; Tunis; Tunisia
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Pennarun E, Kivisild T, Metspalu E, Metspalu M, Reisberg T, Moisan JP, Behar DM, Jones SC, Villems R. Divorcing the Late Upper Palaeolithic demographic histories of mtDNA haplogroups M1 and U6 in Africa. BMC Evol Biol 2012. [PMID: 23206491 PMCID: PMC3582464 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A Southwest Asian origin and dispersal to North Africa in the Early Upper Palaeolithic era has been inferred in previous studies for mtDNA haplogroups M1 and U6. Both haplogroups have been proposed to show similar geographic patterns and shared demographic histories. Results We report here 24 M1 and 33 U6 new complete mtDNA sequences that allow us to refine the existing phylogeny of these haplogroups. The resulting phylogenetic information was used to genotype a further 131 M1 and 91 U6 samples to determine the geographic spread of their sub-clades. No southwest Asian specific clades for M1 or U6 were discovered. U6 and M1 frequencies in North Africa, the Middle East and Europe do not follow similar patterns, and their sub-clade divisions do not appear to be compatible with their shared history reaching back to the Early Upper Palaeolithic. The Bayesian Skyline Plots testify to non-overlapping phases of expansion, and the haplogroups’ phylogenies suggest that there are U6 sub-clades that expanded earlier than those in M1. Some M1 and U6 sub-clades could be linked with certain events. For example, U6a1 and M1b, with their coalescent ages of ~20,000–22,000 years ago and earliest inferred expansion in northwest Africa, could coincide with the flourishing of the Iberomaurusian industry, whilst U6b and M1b1 appeared at the time of the Capsian culture. Conclusions Our high-resolution phylogenetic dissection of both haplogroups and coalescent time assessments suggest that the extant main branching pattern of both haplogroups arose and diversified in the mid-later Upper Palaeolithic, with some sub-clades concomitantly with the expansion of the Iberomaurusian industry. Carriers of these maternal lineages have been later absorbed into and diversified further during the spread of Afro-Asiatic languages in North and East Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erwan Pennarun
- Estonian Biocentre and Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
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Robledo R, Corrias L, Bachis V, Puddu N, Mameli A, Vona G, Calò CM. Analysis of a Genetic Isolate: The Case of Carloforte (Italy). Hum Biol 2012; 84:735-54. [DOI: 10.3378/027.084.0602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Magalhães TR, Casey JP, Conroy J, Regan R, Fitzpatrick DJ, Shah N, Sobral J, Ennis S. HGDP and HapMap analysis by Ancestry Mapper reveals local and global population relationships. PLoS One 2012; 7:e49438. [PMID: 23189146 PMCID: PMC3506643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 10/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of human origins, migrations, and expansions is greatly enhanced by the availability of large datasets of genetic information from different populations and by the development of bioinformatic tools used to analyze the data. We present Ancestry Mapper, which we believe improves on existing methods, for the assignment of genetic ancestry to an individual and to study the relationships between local and global populations. The principle function of the method, named Ancestry Mapper, is to give each individual analyzed a genetic identifier, made up of just 51 genetic coordinates, that corresponds to its relationship to the HGDP reference population. As a consequence, the Ancestry Mapper Id (AMid) has intrinsic biological meaning and provides a tool to measure similarity between world populations. We applied Ancestry Mapper to a dataset comprised of the HGDP and HapMap data. The results show distinctions at the continental level, while simultaneously giving details at the population level. We clustered AMids of HGDP/HapMap and observe a recapitulation of human migrations: for a small number of clusters, individuals are grouped according to continental origins; for a larger number of clusters, regional and population distinctions are evident. Calculating distances between AMids allows us to infer ancestry. The number of coordinates is expandable, increasing the power of Ancestry Mapper. An R package called Ancestry Mapper is available to apply this method to any high density genomic data set.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago R. Magalhães
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jillian P. Casey
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- National Children’s Research Centre, Our Lady’s Childrens Hospital Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Judith Conroy
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Regina Regan
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- National Children’s Research Centre, Our Lady’s Childrens Hospital Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Darren J. Fitzpatrick
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Clique Research Cluster, School of Computer Science and Informatics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Naisha Shah
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Complex and Adaptive Systems Laboratory, and Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - João Sobral
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Sean Ennis
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Association analysis of LCE3C-LCE3B deletion in Tunisian psoriatic population. Arch Dermatol Res 2012; 304:733-8. [PMID: 22926764 DOI: 10.1007/s00403-012-1279-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2012] [Revised: 07/18/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
An association between a common deletion comprising the late cornified envelope LCE3B and LCE3C genes (LCE3C_LCE3B-del) and psoriasis has been reported in Caucasian and Asian populations. To investigate whether this deletion plays a role in the genetic of psoriasis in Tunisian population, we determined the LCE3C_LCE3B-del genotype in 180 Ps patients and 208 healthy controls from different regions of Tunisia. The LCE3B and LCE3C gene variant was determined in the patients through PCR amplification and the SPSS software package. The frequency of the LCE3C_LCE3B-del was similar between patients and healthy controls. Subanalyses by family history revealed that the frequency of LCE3C_LCE3B-del was significantly higher in patients with a positive family history than in control individuals, as well as in individuals with a positive family history versus those without in the case cohort. However, no significant difference was observed between psoriatic patients with no family history and controls. We also evaluated the relationship between LCE3C_LCE3B-del and PSORS1. No significant epistatic effect was observed suggesting that there was no significant epistasis of the two loci in the Tunisian population. Our findings indicate that the LCE3C_LCE3B-del might play a role in familial psoriasis in the Tunisian population.
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Salas A, Elson JL. Raising doubts about the pathogenicity of mitochondrial DNA mutation m.3308T>C in left ventricular hypertraveculation/noncompaction. Cardiology 2012; 122:113-5. [PMID: 22777272 DOI: 10.1159/000339348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Calò CM, Corrias L, Vona G, Bachis V, Robledo R. Sampling strategies in a linguistic isolate: results from mtDNA analysis. Am J Hum Biol 2012; 24:192-4. [PMID: 22287111 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2011] [Revised: 10/03/2011] [Accepted: 11/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Sampling strategies are crucial issues in population genetics and anthropological studies. The sampling choice is related to the research question and the type of markers used. In this research, we compared two different sampling strategies in the Sardinian linguistic isolate of Carloforte (Italy). METHODS A first sampling (N = 49) was carried out through grandparents criterion: individuals selected for the study were born and resident in Carloforte, and unrelated for at least three generations. A second sampling (N = 50) was based on founders surnames (FS): selected participants were proved to be descendants of the village founders, and to have no ancestors in common, at least up to the grandparental generation. RESULTS The group selected through FS showed a greater gene diversity, which was confirmed by both network and haplogroup analysis. Among the shared haplogroups, we find clear differences in their frequencies. Sampling through grandparents criterion showed essentially the same haplogroups found in Sardinia, and with similar frequencies. Interesting results came from genetic tree. The FS sampling clustered with Northern African populations and it is located very far from Italian and Sardinian populations, whereas the grandparents criterion sampling clustered with Italian populations and it is located close to the other Sardinian populations. CONCLUSIONS Results showed that different sampling strategies can lead to contrasting results. As sampling through grandparents criterion is influenced by recent gene flow, we hypothesize that the difference observed with the two sampling strategies is due to the merging of Carloforte with Sardinian populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Maria Calò
- Department of Experimental Biology, University of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
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Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Martinez-Cruz B, Khodjet-el-khil H, Mendizabal I, Benammar-Elgaaied A, Comas D. Genetic structure of Tunisian ethnic groups revealed by paternal lineages. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2011; 146:271-80. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2011] [Accepted: 05/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Rodríguez-Botigué L, Naoui N, Benammar-Elgaaied A, Calafell F, Comas D. Mitochondrial DNA structure in North Africa reveals a genetic discontinuity in the Nile Valley. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2011; 145:107-17. [PMID: 21312180 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2010] [Accepted: 11/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Human population movements in North Africa have been mostly restricted to an east-west direction due to the geographical barriers imposed by the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea. Although these barriers have not completely impeded human migrations, genetic studies have shown that an east-west genetic gradient exists. However, the lack of genetic information of certain geographical areas and the focus of some studies in parts of the North African landscape have limited the global view of the genetic pool of North African populations. To provide a global view of the North African genetic landscape and population structure, we have analyzed ∼2,300 North African mitochondrial DNA lineages (including 269 new sequences from Libya, in the first mtDNA study of the general Libyan population). Our results show a clinal distribution of certain haplogroups, some of them more frequent in Western (H, HV0, L1b, L3b, U6) or Eastern populations (L0a, R0a, N1b, I, J) that might be the result of human migrations from the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe. Despite this clinal pattern, a genetic discontinuity is found in the Libyan/Egyptian border, suggesting a differential gene flow in the Nile River Valley. Finally, frequency of the post-LGM subclades H1 and H3 is predominant in Libya within the H sequences, highlighting the magnitude of the LGM expansion in North Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karima Fadhlaoui-Zid
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology, and Human Pathology, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar, Tunisia
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Currat M, Poloni ES, Sanchez-Mazas A. Human genetic differentiation across the Strait of Gibraltar. BMC Evol Biol 2010; 10:237. [PMID: 20682051 PMCID: PMC3020631 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-10-237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2010] [Accepted: 08/03/2010] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Strait of Gibraltar is a crucial area in the settlement history of modern humans because it represents a possible connection between Africa and Europe. So far, genetic data were inconclusive about the fact that this strait constitutes a barrier to gene flow, as previous results were highly variable depending on the genetic locus studied. The present study evaluates the impact of the Gibraltar region in reducing gene flow between populations from North-Western Africa and South-Western Europe, by comparing formally various genetic loci. First, we compute several statistics of population differentiation. Then, we use an original simulation approach in order to infer the most probable evolutionary scenario for the settlement of the area, taking into account the effects of both demography and natural selection at some loci. RESULTS We show that the genetic patterns observed today in the region of the Strait of Gibraltar may reflect an ancient population genetic structure which has not been completely erased by more recent events such as Neolithic migrations. Moreover, the differences observed among the loci (i.e. a strong genetic boundary revealed by the Y-chromosome polymorphism and, at the other extreme, no genetic differentiation revealed by HLA-DRB1 variation) across the strait suggest specific evolutionary histories like sex-mediated migration and natural selection. By considering a model of balancing selection for HLA-DRB1, we here estimate a coefficient of selection of 2.2% for this locus (although weaker in Europe than in Africa), which is in line with what was estimated from synonymous versus non-synonymous substitution rates. Selection at this marker thus appears strong enough to leave a signature not only at the DNA level, but also at the population level where drift and migration processes were certainly relevant. CONCLUSIONS Our multi-loci approach using both descriptive analyses and Bayesian inferences lead to better characterize the role of the Strait of Gibraltar in the evolution of modern humans. We show that gene flow across the Strait of Gibraltar occurred at relatively high rates since pre-Neolithic times and that natural selection and sex-bias migrations distorted the demographic signal at some specific loci of our genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Currat
- Laboratory of Anthropology, Genetics and Peopling history (AGP), Department of Anthropology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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Fadhlaoui-Zid K, Buhler S, Dridi A, Benammar El Gaaied A, Sanchez-Mazas A. Polymorphism of HLA class II genes in Berbers from Southern Tunisia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 76:416-20. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2010.01534.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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González-Pérez E, Esteban E, Via M, Gayà-Vidal M, Athanasiadis G, Dugoujon JM, Luna F, Mesa MS, Fuster V, Kandil M, Harich N, Bissar-Tadmouri N, Saetta A, Moral P. Population relationships in the Mediterranean revealed by autosomal genetic data (Alu and Alu/STR compound systems). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2010; 141:430-9. [PMID: 19918993 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The variation of 18 Alu polymorphisms and 3 linked STRs was determined in 1,831 individuals from 15 Mediterranean populations to analyze the relationships between human groups in this geographical region and provide a complementary perspective to information from studies based on uniparental markers. Patterns of population diversity revealed by the two kinds of markers examined were different from one another, likely in relation to their different mutation rates. Therefore, while the Alu biallelic variation underlies general heterogeneity throughout the whole Mediterranean region, the combined use of Alu and STR points to a considerable genetic differentiation between the two Mediterranean shores, presumably strengthened by a considerable sub-Saharan African genetic contribution in North Africa (around 13% calculated from Alu markers). Gene flow analysis confirms the permeability of the Sahara to human passage along with the existence of trans-Mediterranean interchanges. Two specific Alu/STR combinations-CD4 110(-) and DM 107(-)-detected in all North African samples, the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, Turkey, and some Mediterranean islands suggest an ancient genetic background of current Mediterranean peoples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emili González-Pérez
- Secció d'Antropologia, Departament de Biologia Animal, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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