The genomic history of the Middle East.
Cell
; 184(18): 4612-4625.e14, 2021 09 02.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34352227
ABSTRACT
The Middle East region is important to understand human evolution and migrations but is underrepresented in genomic studies. Here, we generated 137 high-coverage physically phased genome sequences from eight Middle Eastern populations using linked-read sequencing. We found no genetic traces of early expansions out-of-Africa in present-day populations but found Arabians have elevated Basal Eurasian ancestry that dilutes their Neanderthal ancestry. Population sizes within the region started diverging 15-20 kya, when Levantines expanded while Arabians maintained smaller populations that derived ancestry from local hunter-gatherers. Arabians suffered a population bottleneck around the aridification of Arabia 6 kya, while Levantines had a distinct bottleneck overlapping the 4.2 kya aridification event. We found an association between movement and admixture of populations in the region and the spread of Semitic languages. Finally, we identify variants that show evidence of selection, including polygenic selection. Our results provide detailed insights into the genomic and selective histories of the Middle East.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Genoma Humano
/
Genética de Población
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Cell
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article