DNA diversity in modern East European human populations in view of demographic history and adaptation

Abstract

The interaction of the human genome with the changing environment moulds the genetic structure of human populations. The variability of autosomal loci and the haplotype diversity was studied in geographically diverse populations from Russia and neighboring countries. Basic tendencies in variability were investigated concerning specific types of polymorphism. The results reveal marked differences between East European populations and those from the Asian part of Russia. The possible effects of climatic-geographic factors on the allele and haplotype frequencies have been studied for some loci. The existences of these correlations provide evidence of possible effect of both adaptation to natural environmental factors and large-scale population movements on the specificity and diversity of gene pool.