RESTRICTION-SITE POLYMORPHISM OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA CONTROL REGIONIN POPULATIONS OF RUSSIAN OLD-BELIEVERS AND MIGRANT SLAVIC POPULATIONS OF NORTHERN SIBERIA

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was studied in restric tion sites AvaII, BamHI, EcoRV, KpnI, HaeIII, and RsaI of the mitochon drial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop in populations of Old Believers (Starovery) a nd in Slavic migrants in northern Siberia. Frequencies of rare variant s of all polymorphic sites studied were estimated. The results were co mpared with the published data on mtDNA polymorphism in Russian popula tions of central and southern Russia and in other Eastern Slavic, Cauc asoid, and Mongolian populations. Significance of interpopulation diff erences with respect to distributions of variants of polymorphic sites was estimated with the use of the chi(2) test. The comparison did not reveal significant differences between any groups of Eastern Slavs, i ncluding Old Believers. However, they significantly differed from both Mongols and Europeans (P < 0.05). To date, stable estimates of the po lymorphism level in most of the restriction sites have been obtained f or the Russian population. Regarding the distribution of the restricti on-site variants of mtDNA, Russians significantly differ from the tota l European population, as well as from Mongols. In the populations of Old Believers, the effect of isolation on the diversity of the mitocho ndrial genome was demonstrated.