Neandertals are extinct Hominids, documented in Europe and Western Asia from about 230,000 to 29,000 years ago, during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic period. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from Neandertal samples, morphological comparisons and the sharp cultural change associated with the spread of modern people across Europe appear incompatible with the hypothesis that Neandertals are the direct ancestors of modern Europeans. However, there are broad geographic gaps in the sampling of Neandertal DNA diversity. Here we describe the sequence of the first mitochondrial hypervariable region (HVR1) in a new specimen from Monti Lessini in Northern Italy. This sequence was determined in two laboratories according to the strictest available standards for validation of ancient DNA results, and contains several previously unidentified nucleotide substitutions. The comparison of this lineage of Southern Europe with five other complete HVR1 sequences shows a previously undetected amount of genetic variation among Neandertals.
A highly divergent mtDNA sequence in a Neandertal individual from Italy
BERTORELLE, Giorgio;BARBUJANI, Guido
2006
Abstract
Neandertals are extinct Hominids, documented in Europe and Western Asia from about 230,000 to 29,000 years ago, during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic period. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from Neandertal samples, morphological comparisons and the sharp cultural change associated with the spread of modern people across Europe appear incompatible with the hypothesis that Neandertals are the direct ancestors of modern Europeans. However, there are broad geographic gaps in the sampling of Neandertal DNA diversity. Here we describe the sequence of the first mitochondrial hypervariable region (HVR1) in a new specimen from Monti Lessini in Northern Italy. This sequence was determined in two laboratories according to the strictest available standards for validation of ancient DNA results, and contains several previously unidentified nucleotide substitutions. The comparison of this lineage of Southern Europe with five other complete HVR1 sequences shows a previously undetected amount of genetic variation among Neandertals.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
