Genetic diversity and ancestry of the Khmuic-speaking ethnic groups in Thailand: a genome-wide perspective

Abstract

The Khmuic-speaking populations are believed to be the descendants of one of the earliest groups to settle in Mainland Southeast Asia. In Thailand, there are two agricultural Khmuic-speaking ethnic groups, the Khamu and Lua (Htin). These peoples primarily reside in scattered locations along the mountainous Thailand–Laos border in Nan province. In this study, we conducted genome-wide SNP analysis on 81 individuals from three Khamu and two Lua villages in northern Thailand. Our findings revealed that both the Khamu and Lua groups possess genetic structures that are distinct from other ethnicities in Southeast Asia, indicating a unique history of migration and settlement. Within the Khmuic group, the Khamu populations living in different locations exhibited similar genetic structures and displayed genetic affinities only with some hill-tribes and Tai-Kadai (Kra-Dai)-speaking groups in Thailand, suggesting potential intermixing or cultural exchange. Furthermore, the Lua people displayed a distinctive population structure, which could be attributed to the founder effect and endogamous marriage practices. Additionally, we discovered a relationship between the Khmuic-speaking populations in Thailand and a Neolithic ancient sample obtained from the Tham Pha Ling archaeological site in Laos. This study provides new insight into genetic substructure within the Khmuic-speaking people and their potential relationship to the indigenous inhabitants of Mainland Southeast Asia.