Y-chromosome microsatellite haplotypes demonstrate absence of subdivision and presence of several components in the Tuvinian male gene pool

The haplotype analysis of seven Y-chromosome microsatellites in three regio nal populations of Tuvinians revealed high intrapopulation variation in the male gene pool of the modern population of the Tuva Republic. In total, 49 haplotypes were found in ill individuals; only four haplotypes occurred at a frequency higher than 5%. High genetic diversity (H = 0.935) suggested a high power of discrimination for the Y-chromosome haplotypes. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and other data did not reveal subdivision of the Tuvinian population with respect to Y-chromosome haplotypes. Most hapl otypes found in Tuvinians formed two lines. Line A included approximately 6 4% of the haplotypes found; line B, approximately 24%. A putative ancestral haplotype of line B was similar to a haplotype most common in modern Cauca soids (M-d = 3), whereas a putative ancestral haplotype of line A proved to be distant from the ancestral haplotype of line A and haplotypes common fo r Caucasoids and Mongoloids. Estimates of the age of the Y-chromosome lines showed that the male gene pool of modern Tuvinians originated in the late Paleolithic or Neolithic period. With two methods, the age of line A was es timated at 3500 or 18 000 years and the age of line B was approximately at 5500 or 15 000 years. Considering the less conservative estimates to be mor e reliable, line B was assumed to originate From the ancient Caucasoid popu lation of the Tuva region. The more widespread and evolutionarily younger l ine A was associated with the peopling of the region by ancient Mongoloid t ribes of the Turkic language group in the Hun-Sarmatian period.