Paternal and Maternal Genetic Analysis of a Desert Keriyan Population: Keriyans Are Not the Descendants of Guge Tibetans

<div><p>The Keriyan people live in an isolated village in the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, Western China. The origin and migration of the Keriyans remains unclear. We studied paternal and maternal genetic variance through typing Y-STR loci and sequencing the complete control region of the mtDNA and compared them with other adjacent populations. Data show that the Keriyan have relatively low genetic diversity on both the paternal and maternal lineages and possess both European and Asian specific haplogroups, indicating Keriyan is an admixture population of West and East. There is a gender-bias in the extent of contribution from Europe vs. Asia to the Keriyan gene pool. Keriyans have more genetic affinity to Uyghurs than to Tibetans. The Keriyan are not the descendants of the Guge Tibetans.</p></div

Haplotypes of 17 Y-STR loci and their frequencies in the Keriyans.

<p>Haplotypes of 17 Y-STR loci and their frequencies in the Keriyans.</p

A Neighbour-Joining tree for the Keriyans based on the control region sequences of mtDNA.

<p>A Neighbour-Joining tree for the Keriyans based on the control region sequences of mtDNA.</p

Median Joining network of Keriyans and other 14 referenced populations using 13 Y-STR haplotypes.

<p>A Median Joining network was constructed using the same 13 Y-STR loci as <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone-0100479-g002" target="_blank">Figure 2</a>. Node size is proportional to frequencies of haplotype. Populations were labelled by different colors.</p

Gene diversity of Keriyan and its surrounding populations.

a<p>: Zhou H et al 2010;</p>b<p>: Yao Y et al 2004;</p>c<p>: Starikovskaya E et al 2003;</p>d<p>: Zhao M et al 2009;</p>e<p>: Kong Q et al 2003;</p>f<p>: Yao Y et al 2002;</p>g<p>: Gokcumen O et al 2008;</p>h<p>: Malyarchuk B et al 2010.</p

Geographic locations of the samples in this study.

<p>Geographic locations of the samples in this study.</p

Multiple dimension Scaling plots of <i>Rst</i> value estimated from haplotypes comprised 17 Y-STR loci.

<p><i>Rst</i> values were calculated between each populations and MDS plot based on <i>Rst</i> using an online tool AMOVA provided by YHRD.</p

Phylogenetic relationship between Keriyan and reference populations analyzed by principal component analysis with the frequencies of haplogroups.

<p>Populations were coded as: MMg- Mongolians from Mongolia <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone.0100479-Kolman1" target="_blank">[3]</a>; MWMg- Mongolians from Western Mongolia <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone.0100479-Gokcumen1" target="_blank">[5]</a>; MEMg - Mongolians from east Inner Mongolia of China <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone.0100479-Kong1" target="_blank">[4]</a>; MIMg- Mongolians from central Inner Mongolia; MYMg - Mongolians from Yunnan Province of China <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone.0100479-Cheng1" target="_blank">[6]</a>; YLMg- Mongolians from Yili; Uyg1 - Xinjiang Uyghurs from the Yao’s Study; Uyg2- Xinjiang Uyghurs from our unpublished data; Kaz - Kazaks; Uzb – Uzbeks <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone.0100479-Yao1" target="_blank">[2]</a>; Dau - Daurs; Ewe-Ewenkis; Oro- Oroqens; Arm- Armenians; Geo- Georgians from Cauasus <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone.0100479-Schonberg1" target="_blank">[7]</a>; TV- Tuvans; BR- Buryats from the south extreme of Siberia <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone.0100479-Starikovskaya1" target="_blank">[8]</a>; SH - South Han; NH- North Han <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0100479#pone.0100479-Wen1" target="_blank">[10]</a>; DHY- Daheyan; Rus - Russian; Tib1- Nakchu; Tib 2- Tibetans from Shigats; Tib 3- Tibetans from Tibet; Tib 4- Tibetans from Qinghai; Tib5- Tibetans from Yunnan; Tib 6- Tibetans from Yunnan; Tib 7- Tibetans from Gansu.</p