Regional differences in the genetic variability of Finno‐Ugric speaking Komi populations

Abstract

The Komi (Komi-Zyryan) people are one of the most numerous ethnic groups belonging to the Finno-Ugric linguistic community. They occupy an extensive territory in north Russia to the west of the Ural Mountains, in the northeast of the East European Plain. This is an area of long-term interactions between Europeans and North Asians. Genetic variability was evaluated in two geographically distinct populations, the Izhemski and Priluzski Komi. We searched for polymorphisms of the TP53 gene (a 16-bp duplication in intron 3 and three RFLPs: for Bsh1236I at codon 72, for MspI in intron 6, and for BamHI in the 3' flanking region) and for variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphisms of locus D1S80 and of the 3' untranslated region of the gene for apolipoprotein B (ApoB). Some data from our previous studies of TP53, 3'ApoB, and D1S80 variability were involved in the comparison of Komi with other Eastern European populations. Multidimensional scaling analysis of genetic distances was used for the evaluation of genetic relationships between populations. The results revealed some affinity between Priluzski Komi and Eastern Slavonic populations, and significant segregation of Izhemski Komi from other ethnic groups studied. The unique genetic features of Izhemski Komi may have been determined by their ethnogenesis or the pressure of environmental factors, such as special nutrition and adaptation to extreme climatic conditions.

Y-Chromosome distribution within the geo-linguistic landscape of northwestern Russia

“…It is possible that the observed genetic differences may reflect cultural and socioeconomical separations between the two groups, who despite inhabiting a close geographical area exhibit differing subsistence styles (the Komi from Priluzski are cattle breeders and farmers, whereas the Komi from Izhemski have adapted reindeer herding from neighboring Nenets). 10 In support of this scenario, it is known that the Priluzski Komi belong to a group of populations that appear to have arisen much earlier historically than the Izhemski Komi, which, in turn, exhibit some peculiar linguistic traits not observed in other Komi populations. 57 Yet, the profound differences in the Y-STR profiles and the separation from each other in the Network Analysis argue for populations with unique genetic backgrounds.…”

“…It should be noted that although statistically significant correlations are observed between linguistics as well as geography and genetics in the AMOVA, a closer relationship between geography and genetics (8.81% in the Among Groups comparison versus 7.87% in the Among Populations Within-Groups comparison) than between linguistics and genetics (6.51% variance attributable to the Among Groups comparison versus 10.10% to the Among Populations Within-Groups estimate) as has been stated previously, 15,28,29,50 is seen when populations throughout Eurasia are compared at the transcontinental level. When only members of the Balto-Slavic linguistic branch of the Indo-European language family and Uralic groups are compared, neither linguistic nor geographic ties appear to define the genetic structure of the populations in question, suggesting that other factors besides geographical (10). Genetics of Northeastern Europeans S Mirabal et al proximity and linguistic affiliations have been involved in shaping the current genetic and phylogenetic relationships of members of these two linguistic families (Table 2).…”

“…5 It has been reported that these groups possess some Asian maternal DNA components. 6,7 Additional investigations utilizing the autosomal VNTR markers, D1S80 and 3 0 ApoB, [8][9][10] single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes 11 along with Y-chromosomal analyses 12 signal both Asian and European genetic constituents. For example, Y-chromosomal haplogroup N (specifically sub-haplogroups N1c and N1b), believed to be of Asian ancestry, 13 -16 is found at high frequencies within the Urals; and its pronounced presence in the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia), as well as in the Nordic Peninsula (Finland) and in the Saami of Sweden, argue for an Uralic genetic signature throughout northeastern Europe.…”

A Genome-Wide Analysis of Populations from European Russia Reveals a New Pole of Genetic Diversity in Northern Europe

“…They occupy the northeastern-most location of Europe and consist of several ethnographic groups, formed during the 8 th –19 th centuries [19]. We included samples from two of the geographically and socioeconomically distant Komi groups: the Izhemski Komi and Priluzski Komi [20]. Finally, to place genetic variation into the geographical context of the continental Europe, we also included genotypic data from several reference populations (Figure 1).…”

Serum lipid abnormalities are not associated with apoB 3' VNTR polymorphism in nephrotic children

“…This locus is highly variable, and approximately 26 alleles have been reported (Destro-Bisol et al, 1994). Therefore, the apoB 3' VNTR is considered an informative marker for many applications, including linkage analysis, forensic identification, paternity testing, anthropological research, and phylogenetic studies (Batanian et al, 1998;Choong et al, 1999;Soares-Vieira et al, 2000;Verbenko et al, 2003;Khrunin et al, 2007).…”