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Subject: [DNA] PubMed abstract: ancient mtDNA study of the Okhotsk
Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 09:38:49 EDT

J Hum Genet. 2007;52(7):618-27. Epub 2007 Jun 14.

Origins and genetic features of the Okhotsk people, revealed by ancient
mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Sato T, Amano T, Ono H, Ishida H, Kodera H, Matsumura H, Yoneda M, Masuda R.

Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan.

In order to investigate the phylogenetic status of the Okhotsk people that
were distributed in northern and eastern Hokkaido as well as southern Sakhalin
during the fifth to the thirteenth centuries, DNA was carefully extracted from
human bone and tooth remains excavated from archaeological sites. The
hypervariable region 1 sequences of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region were
successfully amplified and 16 mtDNA haplotypes were identified from 37
individuals of the Okhotsk people. Of the 16 haplotypes found, 6 were unique to the
Okhotsk people, whereas the other 10 were shared by northeastern Asian people
that are currently distributed around Sakhalin and downstream of the Amur
River. The phylogenetic relationships inferred from mtDNA sequences showed that
the Okhotsk people were more closely related to the Nivkhi and Ulchi people
among populations of northeastern Asia. In addition, the Okhotsk people had a
relatively closer genetic affinity with the Ainu people of Hokkaido, and were
likely intermediates of gene flow from the northeastern Asian people to the Ainu
people. These findings support the hypothesis that the Okhotsk culture joined
the Satsumon culture (direct descendants of the Jomon people) resulting in the
Ainu culture, as suggested by previous archaeological and anthropological
studies.

Publication Types:
Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 17568987 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]



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