COMPARISON OF MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA SEQUENCES OF KULIKOVSKIIROMANOV,T.N.,THE NEPHEW OF TSAR NIKOLAI-II-ROMANOV, WITH THOSE OF DNA OBTAINED FROM THE PUTATIVE TSAR REMAINS

Analysis of two polymorphic regions of mitochondrial DNA obtained from T. N. Kulikovskii-Romanov, the nephew of the last Tsar of the Russian Empire Nikolai II Romanov, was performed. The mitochondrial DNA seque nces of T. N. Kulikovskii-Romanov and earlier reported DNA sequences o btained from the putative remains of Nikolai II showed almost complete coincidence except for a single nucleotide at the position 16169. At this position, C was found in mitochondrial DNA of T. N. Kulikovskii-R omanov, C/T in that from the putative remains of Nikolai II Romanov, a nd T in mitochondrial DNA from great great grandson and great great gr anddaughter of Louise Hesse-Cassel. These data suggest independent mut ations in the maternal lineage of Louise Hesse-Cassel's descendants an d/or a mutation leading to a heteroplasmia in the lineage of Louise He sse-Cassel.