Dataset Information

A genome-wide study of modern-day Tuscans: revisiting Herodotus's theory on the origin of the Etruscans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The origin of the Etruscan civilization (Etruria, Central Italy) is a long-standing subject of debate among scholars from different disciplines. The bulk of the information has been reconstructed from ancient texts and archaeological findings and, in the last few years, through the analysis of uniparental genetic markers.

Methods

By meta-analyzing genome-wide data from The 1000 Genomes Project and the literature, we were able to compare the genomic patterns (>540,000 SNPs) of present day Tuscans (N?=?98) with other population groups from the main hypothetical source populations, namely, Europe and the Middle East.

Results

Admixture analysis indicates the presence of 25-34% of Middle Eastern component in modern Tuscans. Different analyses have been carried out using identity-by-state (IBS) values and genetic distances point to Eastern Anatolia/Southern Caucasus as the most likely geographic origin of the main Middle Eastern genetic component observed in the genome of modern Tuscans.

Conclusions

The data indicate that the admixture event between local Tuscans and Middle Easterners could have occurred in Central Italy about 2,600-3,100 years ago (y.a.). On the whole, the results validate the theory of the ancient historian Herodotus on the origin of Etruscans.

SUBMITTER: Pardo-Seco J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4167696 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

A genome-wide study of modern-day Tuscans: revisiting Herodotus's theory on the origin of the Etruscans.

Pardo-Seco Jacobo J Gómez-Carballa Alberto A Amigo Jorge J Martinón-Torres Federico F Salas Antonio A

PloS one 20140917 9

<h4>Background</h4>The origin of the Etruscan civilization (Etruria, Central Italy) is a long-standing subject of debate among scholars from different disciplines. The bulk of the information has been reconstructed from ancient texts and archaeological findings and, in the last few years, through the analysis of uniparental genetic markers.<h4>Methods</h4>By meta-analyzing genome-wide data from The 1000 Genomes Project and the literature, we were able to compare the genomic patterns (>540,000 SN ...[more]

PMID: 25230205

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Project description:RationaleThe CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 locus is associated with self-reported smoking behavior and also harbors the strongest genetic associations with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. Because the associations with lung disease remain after adjustment for self-reported smoking behaviors, it has been asserted that CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 variants increase COPD and lung cancer susceptibility independently of their effects on smoking.ObjectivesTo compare the genetic associations of exhaled carbon monoxide (CO), a biomarker of current cigarette exposure, with self-reported smoking behaviors.MethodsA total of 1,521 European American and 247 African American current smokers recruited into smoking cessation studies were assessed for CO at intake before smoking cessation. DNA samples were genotyped using the Illumina Omni2.5 microarray. Genetic associations with CO and smoking behaviors (cigarettes smoked per day, Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence) were studied.Measurements and main resultsVariants in the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 locus, including rs16969968, a nonsynonymous variant in CHRNA5, are genomewide association study-significantly associated with CO (β = 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.74-3.58; P = 1.65 × 10(-8)), and this association remains strong after adjusting for smoking behavior (β = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.32-3.04; P = 7.47 × 10(-7)). The correlation between CO and cigarettes per day is statistically significantly lower (z = 3.43; P = 6.07 × 10(-4)) in African Americans (r = 0.14; 95% CI, 0.02-0.26; P = 0.003) than in European-Americans (r = 0.36; 95% CI, 0.31-0.40; P = 0.0001).ConclusionsExhaled CO, a biomarker that is simple to measure, captures aspects of cigarette smoke exposure in current smokers beyond the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Behavioral measures of smoking are therefore insufficient indices of cigarette smoke exposure, suggesting that genetic associations with COPD or lung cancer that persist after adjusting for self-reported smoking behavior may still reflect genetic effects on smoking exposure.

Dataset Information

A genome-wide study of modern-day Tuscans: revisiting Herodotus's theory on the origin of the Etruscans.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

A genome-wide study of modern-day Tuscans: revisiting Herodotus's theory on the origin of the Etruscans.

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