Abstract
BackgroundThe ancient Silk Road has been a trading route between Europe and Central Asia from the 2nd century BCE to the 15th century CE. While most populations on this route have been characterized, the genetic background of others remains poorly understood, and little is known about past migration patterns. The scientific expedition “Marco Polo” has recently collected genetic and phenotypic data in six regions (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan) along the Silk Road to study the genetics of a number of phenotypes.ResultsWe characterized the genetic structure of these populations within a worldwide context. We observed a West-East subdivision albeit the existence of a genetic component shared within Central Asia and nearby populations from Europe and Near East. We observed a contribution of up to 50% from Europe and Asia to most of the populations that have been analyzed. The contribution from Asia dates back to ~25 generations and is limited to the Eastern Silk Road. Time and direction of this contribution are consistent with the Mongolian expansion era.ConclusionsWe clarified the genetic structure of six populations from Central Asia and suggested a complex pattern of gene flow among them. We provided a map of migration events in time and space and we quantified exchanges among populations. Altogether these novel findings will support the future studies aimed at understanding the genetics of the phenotypes that have been collected during the Marco Polo campaign, they will provide insights into the history of these populations, and they will be useful to reconstruct the developments and events that have shaped modern Eurasians genomes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12863-014-0131-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The ancient Silk Road has been a trading route between Europe and Central Asia from the 2nd century BCE to the 15th century CE
This study reported a pattern of diffused admixture and migration among populations in the area, resulting in great genetic diversity correlated with patterns of linguistic diversity, as it is often the case [7]
The Western SR (WSR) including Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan shows, proximity with Europe and the Near East, while the Eastern Silk Road (ESR) including Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and Kazakhstan shows a proximity generally closer to Asia, except for a number of individuals from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan who are closer to Europe and the WSR
Summary
The ancient Silk Road has been a trading route between Europe and Central Asia from the 2nd century BCE to the 15th century CE. The ancient Silk Road has been a trading route for several centuries in the past (2nd century BCE - 15th century CE) serving as a main connection between Europe and Asia. This study reported a pattern of diffused admixture and migration among populations in the area, resulting in great genetic diversity correlated with patterns of linguistic diversity, as it is often the case [7]. A more comprehensive study disentangled the different levels of gene flow in worldwide populations but did not include a number of populations form Central Asia, for which migration patterns are still not fully understood [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
