Dataset Information

Population genomic analysis of ancient and modern genomes yields new insights into the genetic ancestry of the Tyrolean Iceman and the genetic structure of Europe.

ABSTRACT: Genome sequencing of the 5,300-year-old mummy of the Tyrolean Iceman, found in 1991 on a glacier near the border of Italy and Austria, has yielded new insights into his origin and relationship to modern European populations. A key finding of that study was an apparent recent common ancestry with individuals from Sardinia, based largely on the Y chromosome haplogroup and common autosomal SNP variation. Here, we compiled and analyzed genomic datasets from both modern and ancient Europeans, including genome sequence data from over 400 Sardinians and two ancient Thracians from Bulgaria, to investigate this result in greater detail and determine its implications for the genetic structure of Neolithic Europe. Using whole-genome sequencing data, we confirm that the Iceman is, indeed, most closely related to Sardinians. Furthermore, we show that this relationship extends to other individuals from cultural contexts associated with the spread of agriculture during the Neolithic transition, in contrast to individuals from a hunter-gatherer context. We hypothesize that this genetic affinity of ancient samples from different parts of Europe with Sardinians represents a common genetic component that was geographically widespread across Europe during the Neolithic, likely related to migrations and population expansions associated with the spread of agriculture.

SUBMITTER: Sikora M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4014435 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Population genomic analysis of ancient and modern genomes yields new insights into the genetic ancestry of the Tyrolean Iceman and the genetic structure of Europe.

Sikora Martin M Carpenter Meredith L ML Moreno-Estrada Andres A Henn Brenna M BM Underhill Peter A PA Sánchez-Quinto Federico F Zara Ilenia I Pitzalis Maristella M Sidore Carlo C Busonero Fabio F Maschio Andrea A Angius Andrea A Jones Chris C Mendoza-Revilla Javier J Nekhrizov Georgi G Dimitrova Diana D Theodossiev Nikola N Harkins Timothy T TT Keller Andreas A Maixner Frank F Zink Albert A Abecasis Goncalo G Sanna Serena S Cucca Francesco F Bustamante Carlos D CD

PLoS genetics 20140508 5

Genome sequencing of the 5,300-year-old mummy of the Tyrolean Iceman, found in 1991 on a glacier near the border of Italy and Austria, has yielded new insights into his origin and relationship to modern European populations. A key finding of that study was an apparent recent common ancestry with individuals from Sardinia, based largely on the Y chromosome haplogroup and common autosomal SNP variation. Here, we compiled and analyzed genomic datasets from both modern and ancient Europeans, includi ...[more]

PMID: 24809476

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Dataset Information

Population genomic analysis of ancient and modern genomes yields new insights into the genetic ancestry of the Tyrolean Iceman and the genetic structure of Europe.

Publications

Population genomic analysis of ancient and modern genomes yields new insights into the genetic ancestry of the Tyrolean Iceman and the genetic structure of Europe.

Similar Datasets

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