Mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis in Sicily

This study reports data on the sequences of the first hypervariable segment of a sample of the Sicilian population from Alia (Palermo, Italy). The res ults show the presence of 32 different haplotypes in the 49 individuals exa mined. The average number of pairwise nucleotide differences was 4.04, i.e. , 1.17% per nucleotide. The distribution of the nucleotide differences matc hes the theoretical distribution and indicates only one major episode of ex pansion that occurred between 20,732 and 59,691 years ago, between the Midd le Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic. Compared with the other populations, parameters of the Sicilian sample lie in an intermediate position between t he eastern and western Mediterranean populations. This is due to numerous c ontacts that Sicily has had with the Mediterranean area since prehistoric t imes. At the same time, the singularity of some of the haplotypes present i n the sample studied indicates the persistence of some characteristics caus ed by genetic drift and isolation that the population has endured in the co urse of its history. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.