The genetic legacy of the Mongols

Tatiana Zerjal; Yali Xue; Giorgio Bertorelle; R. Spencer Wells; Weidong Bao; Suling Zhu; Raheel Qamar; Qasim Ayub; Aisha Mohyuddin; Songbin Fu; Pu Li; Nadira Yuldasheva; Ruslan Ruzibakiev; Jiujin Xu; Qunfang Shu; Ruofu Du; Huanming Yang; Matthew E. Hurles; Elizabeth Robinson; Tudevdagva Gerelsaikhan; Bumbein Dashnyam; S. Qasim Mehdi; Chris Tyler-Smith

doi:10.1086/367774

The genetic legacy of the Mongols

Tatiana Zerjal, Yali Xue, Giorgio Bertorelle, R. Spencer Wells, Weidong Bao, Suling Zhu, Raheel Qamar, Qasim Ayub, Aisha Mohyuddin, Songbin Fu, Pu Li, Nadira Yuldasheva, Ruslan Ruzibakiev, Jiujin Xu, Qunfang Shu, Ruofu Du, Huanming Yang, Matthew E. Hurles, Elizabeth Robinson, Tudevdagva GerelsaikhanBumbein Dashnyam, S. Qasim Mehdi, Chris Tyler-Smith

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review

394 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We have identified a Y-chromosomal lineage with several unusual features. It was found in 16 populations throughout a large region of Asia, stretching from the Pacific to the Caspian Sea, and was present at high frequency: ∼8% of the men in this region carry it, and it thus makes up ∼0.5% of the world total. The pattern of variation within the lineage suggested that it originated in Mongolia ∼1,000 years ago. Such a rapid spread cannot have occurred by chance; it must have been a result of selection. The lineage is carried by likely male-line descendants of Genghis Khan, and we therefore propose that it has spread by a novel form of social selection resulting from their behavior.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	717-721
Number of pages	5
Journal	American Journal of Human Genetics
Volume	72
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/367774
Publication status	Published - Mar 2003
Externally published	Yes

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@article{c497bb98d5624e599bc1ccc4f8008de1,

title = "The genetic legacy of the Mongols",

abstract = "We have identified a Y-chromosomal lineage with several unusual features. It was found in 16 populations throughout a large region of Asia, stretching from the Pacific to the Caspian Sea, and was present at high frequency: ∼8% of the men in this region carry it, and it thus makes up ∼0.5% of the world total. The pattern of variation within the lineage suggested that it originated in Mongolia ∼1,000 years ago. Such a rapid spread cannot have occurred by chance; it must have been a result of selection. The lineage is carried by likely male-line descendants of Genghis Khan, and we therefore propose that it has spread by a novel form of social selection resulting from their behavior.",

author = "Tatiana Zerjal and Yali Xue and Giorgio Bertorelle and Wells, {R. Spencer} and Weidong Bao and Suling Zhu and Raheel Qamar and Qasim Ayub and Aisha Mohyuddin and Songbin Fu and Pu Li and Nadira Yuldasheva and Ruslan Ruzibakiev and Jiujin Xu and Qunfang Shu and Ruofu Du and Huanming Yang and Hurles, {Matthew E.} and Elizabeth Robinson and Tudevdagva Gerelsaikhan and Bumbein Dashnyam and Mehdi, {S. Qasim} and Chris Tyler-Smith",

note = "Funding Information: We thank all DNA donors, for making this work possible; Ed Southern, for encouragement and comments on the manuscript; Jaume Bertranpetit, for helpful discussions; Ian Wilson, for modifying BATWING to allow 16 different mutation rates to be used; Askar Mousavi, for information on the Hazaras; Christine Keyser, for information about the genetics of ancient Mongolian populations; and Felipe Fern{\'a}mdez-Armesto, for historical discussions. This work was supported by a Joint Project from the Royal Society and the National Natural Science Foundation of China and a Collaborative Research Initiative Grant from the Wellcome Trust; T. Z. was supported by the Wellcome Trust.",

year = "2003",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1086/367774",

language = "English",

volume = "72",

pages = "717--721",

journal = "American Journal of Human Genetics",

issn = "0002-9297",

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Zerjal, T, Xue, Y, Bertorelle, G, Wells, RS, Bao, W, Zhu, S, Qamar, R, Ayub, Q, Mohyuddin, A, Fu, S, Li, P, Yuldasheva, N, Ruzibakiev, R, Xu, J, Shu, Q, Du, R, Yang, H, Hurles, ME, Robinson, E, Gerelsaikhan, T, Dashnyam, B, Mehdi, SQ & Tyler-Smith, C 2003, 'The genetic legacy of the Mongols', American Journal of Human Genetics, vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 717-721. https://doi.org/10.1086/367774

TY - JOUR

T1 - The genetic legacy of the Mongols

AU - Zerjal, Tatiana

AU - Xue, Yali

AU - Bertorelle, Giorgio

AU - Wells, R. Spencer

AU - Bao, Weidong

AU - Zhu, Suling

AU - Qamar, Raheel

AU - Ayub, Qasim

AU - Mohyuddin, Aisha

AU - Fu, Songbin

AU - Li, Pu

AU - Yuldasheva, Nadira

AU - Ruzibakiev, Ruslan

AU - Xu, Jiujin

AU - Shu, Qunfang

AU - Du, Ruofu

AU - Yang, Huanming

AU - Hurles, Matthew E.

AU - Robinson, Elizabeth

AU - Gerelsaikhan, Tudevdagva

AU - Dashnyam, Bumbein

AU - Mehdi, S. Qasim

AU - Tyler-Smith, Chris

N1 - Funding Information: We thank all DNA donors, for making this work possible; Ed Southern, for encouragement and comments on the manuscript; Jaume Bertranpetit, for helpful discussions; Ian Wilson, for modifying BATWING to allow 16 different mutation rates to be used; Askar Mousavi, for information on the Hazaras; Christine Keyser, for information about the genetics of ancient Mongolian populations; and Felipe Fernámdez-Armesto, for historical discussions. This work was supported by a Joint Project from the Royal Society and the National Natural Science Foundation of China and a Collaborative Research Initiative Grant from the Wellcome Trust; T. Z. was supported by the Wellcome Trust.

PY - 2003/3

Y1 - 2003/3

N2 - We have identified a Y-chromosomal lineage with several unusual features. It was found in 16 populations throughout a large region of Asia, stretching from the Pacific to the Caspian Sea, and was present at high frequency: ∼8% of the men in this region carry it, and it thus makes up ∼0.5% of the world total. The pattern of variation within the lineage suggested that it originated in Mongolia ∼1,000 years ago. Such a rapid spread cannot have occurred by chance; it must have been a result of selection. The lineage is carried by likely male-line descendants of Genghis Khan, and we therefore propose that it has spread by a novel form of social selection resulting from their behavior.

AB - We have identified a Y-chromosomal lineage with several unusual features. It was found in 16 populations throughout a large region of Asia, stretching from the Pacific to the Caspian Sea, and was present at high frequency: ∼8% of the men in this region carry it, and it thus makes up ∼0.5% of the world total. The pattern of variation within the lineage suggested that it originated in Mongolia ∼1,000 years ago. Such a rapid spread cannot have occurred by chance; it must have been a result of selection. The lineage is carried by likely male-line descendants of Genghis Khan, and we therefore propose that it has spread by a novel form of social selection resulting from their behavior.

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U2 - 10.1086/367774

DO - 10.1086/367774

M3 - Article

C2 - 12592608

AN - SCOPUS:0037369850

SN - 0002-9297

VL - 72

SP - 717

EP - 721

JO - American Journal of Human Genetics

JF - American Journal of Human Genetics

IS - 3

ER -

The genetic legacy of the Mongols

Abstract

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