Doctoral Disssertation Improvement Grant: Analysis of Y-Chromosome Variation in Indigenous Altaian and Altaian Kazakh Populations

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Many new insights into the human colonization of northern Eurasia have been discovered through the genetic analysis of indigenous populations of Siberia. This research has helped to reconstruct the timing and direction of the movements of prehistoric human groups as they settled this region, as well as characterize the process of genetic diversification that occurred as they became culturally and linguistically distinct from each other. This project will extend previous efforts to understand Siberian prehistory through the analysis of Y-chromosome variation in populations living in the putative homeland of both ancestral native Siberians and Native Americans. More specifically, this project will examine the population histories of several ethnic groups residing in the Altai Republic of Russia. This will be accomplished through the analysis of Y-chromosome variation in indigenous Chelkan, Tubular, Kumandin, and Altai-kizhi ethnic groups, as well as the Altaian Kazakhs, and the comparison of data from these Altaian groups with those observed in other native Siberian, East Asian, Central Asian and New World populations through phylogenetic and statistical methods. The resulting data will help to clarify the history of the Altai-Sayan region of Siberia, and elucidate the role played by ancestral Altaian populations in the initial settlement of Siberia, as well as the peopling of East Asia and the Americas. This study will further explore the genetic consequences of the expansions of populations speaking Mongolic and Turkic languages, in the context of Siberian population histories. This study will add new molecular data from under-sampled locations and indigenous populations that are important for understanding Altaian, and more generally, Siberian population history. Such information is also important for understanding Native American population history, since it is known that humans populated the New World largely by moving through Siberia and into North America. In addition, this project will explore the role that culture, language and tribal social structure may have played in shaping genetic variation in these groups. The Y-chromosome analysis outlined in this project will contribute to a larger study involving the analysis of several independent genetic systems and markers, including the mtDNA, the X-chromosome and numerous autosomal SNP markers. In fact, analyses of mtDNA variation in Altaian groups, in which Matthew Dulik has been involved, have revealed differences between northern (Chelkan, Tubular, Kumandin) and southern (Altai-kizhi) Altaian populations, as well as distinctions between each northern Altai group. Moreover, the mtDNA data reveal intriguing maternal genetic links between the Altai-Sayan region and other parts of Siberia and East Asia. It is anticipated that the Y-chromosome data will further elaborate these patterns, and also provide a complementary view of male genetic history in northern Eurasia. The collaborative nature of this project will greatly facilitate the learning experiences of its participants and enlarge their understanding of the history of Siberia, North Eurasia and North America. This project involves collaborations with scientists in the United States, Canada, and Russia, where other genetic markers, samples and demographic data are being analyzed. The educational opportunities provided by this study for undergraduate and graduate students are extensive.