MS205 minisatellite diversity in Basques: Evidence for a pre-neolithic component

A number of studies have suggested that Basques might be a relic of Mesolit hic Europeans who escaped much of the homogenization brought about by the N eolithic expansion. In an attempt to add new insights into this hypothesis, MS205 minisatellite diversity has been investigated by Minisatellite Varia nt Repeat (MVR) analysis in a sample of >100 autochthonous individuals From the Basque Country, along with 24 Castilian (N. Spain) and 23 individuals From the United Kingdom. These populations were examined in the context of the available world database for MS205 alleles. To deduce the similarities among populations, we have applied a phylogenetic approach that takes into account similarity between alleles. The variability of these populations se ems to be a subset of the greater and presumably older African diversity, a s has been suggested previously for non-Africans. Within non-Africans, Basq ues seem to cluster with other Northern European populations; however, some apparently Basque-specific alleles can be dated back to post-Aurignacian t imes, supporting the continuity of some lineages of this population since t he Upper Paleolithic period.