Generate QR code
Open Access
Subscription Access
Genetic Portraits of the Yakut Regional Populations (Based on Y-Chromosome Polymorphism Data)
https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2025.53.2.144-154
Abstract
We present data on SNP haplogroups and STR haplotypes of the Y-chromosome in main Yakut ethno-local populations. Clusters of STR haplotypes and median networks of principal haplogroup N3a2 (N-M1982) indicate three lines: N-M1983, N-M1933, and N-Y25011. The first one, widely distributed throughout Yakutia and present in one half of Yakut males, marks the putative descendants of Elley, the legendary progenitor of the Yakuts. Line N-M1933 is found where descendants of another legendary progenitor, Omogoy, live. The N-Y25011 line is frequent in the Vilyuy basin, where the Yakuts had migrated from the Middle Lena in the 1600s. The predominance of lines N-M1983 and N-Y25011 is less marked in the northeastern part of this region than in the southwestern one. The frequency of haplogroup N3a2 drops to 70 % in the Yakuts of the northeastern Vilyuy basin, northeastern Yakutia, and northeastern Khabarovsk Territory. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor of Yakuts, marked by the N3a2 haplogroup, 1200 ± 480 years, shows a fair agreement with aDNA data. Samples of the Yakuts from Yakutia and the Okhotsk coast and of Sakha-speaking Evenki reveal a compact “Yakut” core area in the multidimensional genetic space of the Y-gene pools of Siberia and the Far East. This core is marked by an elevated frequency (68–95 %) of the N3a2 haplogroup, which is rare (0–21 %) in other populations of Siberia (Dolgans, Nanais, Negidals, Nivkhs, Tuvans, Ulchi, Evenki, and Evens). Regional Y-chromosome profiles are consistent with historical data regarding Yakut origins and legends.
Supporting agencies: This study was carried out under the State Assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, for the Bochkov Research Center for Medical Genetics
About the Authors
D. S. Adamov
Bochkov Research Center for Medical Genetics
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Adamov D.S., Senior Researcher
Moskvorechye 1, Moscow, 115522
A. Y. Potanina
Bochkov Research Center for Medical Genetics
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Potanina A.Y., Junior Researcher
Moskvorechye 1, Moscow, 115522
Y. V. Bogunov
Bochkov Research Center for Medical Genetics
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Bogunov Y.V., Assistant
Moskvorechye 1, Moscow, 115522
M. K. Zhabagin
LLP “National Center of Biotechnology”
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Zhabagin M.K., Laboratory Head
Kurgalzhynskoye road 13/5, Astana, 010000
E. V. Balanovska
Bochkov Research Center for Medical Genetics
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Balanovska E.V., Head of the Human Population Genetics Laboratory
Moskvorechye 1, Moscow, 115522
References
1. Adamov D.S. 2022 Yakutskaya vetv igrek-khromosomy v sostave gaplogruppy N-M2016. Sibirskiye issledovaniya, vol. 2 (8): 6–14.
2. Amory S., Crubézy E., Keyser C., Alekseev A.N., Ludes B. 2006 Early influence of the steppe tribes in the peopling of Siberia. Human Biology, vol. 78 (5): 531–549.
3. Aprosimov A.M., Popov G.V. 2015 Sakha uluustaryn neһiliekterinen tөrүchchүlere (Rodoslovnaya po naslegam yakutskikh ulusov). Dyokuuskay: Bichik.
4. Balanovsky O., Rootsi S., Pshenichnov A., Kivisild T., Churnosov M., Evseeva I., Pocheshkhova E., Boldyreva M., Yankovsky N., Balanovska E., Villems R. 2008 Two sources of the Russian patrilineal heritage in their Eurasian context. American Journal of Human Genetics, vol. 82 (1): 236–250.
5. Bandelt H.J., Forster P., Röhl A. 1999 Median-joining networks for inferring intraspecific phylogenies. Molecular Biology and Evolution, vol. 16 (1): 37–48.
6. Crubézy E., Amory S., Keyser C., Bouakaze C., Bodner M., Gibert M., Röck A., Parson W., Alexeev A., Ludes B. 2010 Human evolution in Siberia: From frozen bodies to ancient DNA. BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 10, Art. No. 25.
7. Davis C., Ge J., Chidambaram A., King J., Turnbough M., Collins M., Dym O., Chakraborty R., Eisenberg A.J., Budowle B. 2011 Y-STR loci diversity in native Alaskan populations. International Journal of Legal Medicine, vol. 125 (4): 559–563.
8. Dolgikh B.O. 1960 Rodovoy i plemennoy sostav narodov Sibiri v XVII veke. Moscow: Izd. AN SSSR.
9. Duggan A.T., Whitten M., Wiebe V., Crawford M., Butthof A., Spitsyn V., Makarov S., Novgorodov I., Osakovsky V., Pakendorf B. 2013 Investigating the prehistory of Tungusic peoples of Siberia and the Amur-Ussuri Region with complete mtDNA genome sequences and Y-chromosomal markers. PLoS One, vol. 8 (12), Art. No. e83570.
10. Elert A.K. 2001 Noviye materialy o panteone yakutskikh bozhestv i dukhov v pervoy polovine XVIII veka (statya pervaya). In Obshchestvennoye soznaniye i literatura XVI–XX vv. Novosibirsk: Izd. SO RAN.
11. Fedorova S.A. 2008 Geneticheskiye portrety narodov Respubliki Sakha (Yakutiya): Analiz liniy mitokhondrialnoy DNK i Y-khromosomy. Yakutsk: Izd. YaNC SO RAN.
12. Fedorova S.A., Barashkov N.A., Ushnitsky V.V., Kononova S.K., Bravina R.I., Alekseev A.N., Tomskiy M.I., Khusnutdinova E.K. 2014 Etnoterritorialniye gruppy yakutov: Osobennosti geneticheskoy struktury. Yakutskiy meditsinskiy zhurnal, No. 2: 28–31.
13. Fedorova S.A., Khusnutdinova E.K. 2022 Osobennosti struktury genofonda i geneticheskaya istoriya sakha (yakutov). Genetika, vol. 58 (12): 1349–1366.
14. Fedorova S.A., Reidla M., Metspalu E., Metspalu M., Rootsi S., Tambets K., Trofi mova N., Zhadanov S.I., Kashani B.H., Olivieri A., Voevoda M.I., Osipova L.P., Platonov F.A., Tomsky M.I., Khusnutdinova E.K., Torroni A., Villems R. 2013 Autosomal and uniparental portraits of the native populations of Sakha (Yakutia): Implications for the peopling of Northeast Eurasia. BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 13: 127.
15. Fedorova S.A., Zvenigorosky V., Alekseev A.R. 2023 Sravnitelniy analiz liniy Y-khromosomy drevnikh i sovremennykh sakha (yakutov). Genetika, vol. 59 (6): 633–639.
16. Ilumäe A.M., Reidla M., Chukhryaeva M., Järve M., Post H., Karmin M., Saag L., Agdzhoyan A., Kushniarevich A., Litvinov S., Ekomasova N., Tambets K., Metspalu E., Khusainova R., Yunusbayev B., Khusnutdinova E.K., Osipova L.P., Fedorova S., Utevska O., Koshel S., Balanovska E., Behar D.M., Balanovsky O., Kivisild T., Underhill P.A., Villems R., Rootsi S. 2016 Human Y chromosome haplogroup N: A non-trivial time-resolved phylogeography that cuts across language families. American Journal of Human Genetics, vol. 99 (1): 163–173.
17. Istoriya Yakutii. (2020, 2021) In 3 vols., A.N. Alekseev (ed.). Vol. I, R.I. Bravina, E.N. Romanov (eds.). Vol. II, A.A. Borisov, A.I. Makarova, A.P. Nikolaev (eds.).
18. Karafet T., Osipova L.P., Savina O.V., Hallmark B., Hammer M.F. 2018 Siberian genetic diversity reveals complex origins of the Samoyedic-speaking populations. American Journal of Human Biology, vol. 30 (6): e23194.
19. Karmin M., Saag L., Vicente M., Sayres M.A.W., Järve M., Talas U.G., Rootsi S., Ilumäe A.-M., Mägi R., Mitt M., Pagani L., Puurand T., Faltyskova Z., Clemente F., Cardona A., Metspalu E., Sahakyan H., Yunusbayev B., Hudjashov G., DeGiorgio M., Loogväli E.-L., Eichstaedt C., Eelmets M., Chaubey G., Tambets K., Litvinov S., Mormina M., Xue Y., Ayub Q., Zoraqi G., Korneliussen T.S., Akhatova F., Lachance J., Tishkoff S., Momynaliev K., Ricaut F.-X., Kusuma P., Razafi ndrazaka H., Pierron D., Cox M.P., Sultana G.N.N., Willerslev R., Muller C., Westaway M., Lambert D., Skaro V., Kovačevic L., Turdikulova S., Dalimova D., Khusainova R., Trofi mova N., Akhmetova V., Khidiyatova I., Lichman D.V., Isakova J., Pocheshkhova E., Sabitov Z., Barashkov N.A., Nymadawa P., Mihailov E., Seng J.W.T., Evseeva I., Migliano A.B., Abdullah S., Andriadze G., Primorac D., Atramentova L., Utevska O., Yepiskoposyan L., Marjanovic D., Kushniarevich A., Behar D.M., Gilissen C., Vissers L., Veltman J.A., Balanovska E., Derenko M., Malyarchuk B., Metspalu A., Fedorova S., Eriksson A., Manica A., Mendez F.L., Karafet T.M., Veeramah K.R., Bradman N., Hammer M.F., Osipova L.P., Balanovsky O., Khusnutdinova E.K., Johnsen K., Remm M., Thomas M.G., Tyler-Smith C., Underhill P.A., Willerslev E., Nielsen R., Metspalu M., Villems R., Kivisild T. 2015 A recent bottleneck of Y chromosome diversity coincides with a global change in culture. Genome Research, vol. 25: 459–466.
20. Keyser C., Hollard C., Gonzalez A., Fausser J.-L., Rivals E., Alexeev A.N., Riberon A., Crubézy E., Ludes B. 2015 The ancient Yakuts: A population genetic enigma. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Science, vol. 370 (1660), Art. No. 20130385.
21. Kharkov V.N., Stepanov V.A., Medvedeva O.F., Spiridonova M.G., Maksimova N.R., Nogovitsyna A.N., Puzyrev V.P. 2008 Proiskhozhdeniye yakutov: Analiz gaplotipov Y-khromosomy. Molekulyarnaya biologiya, vol. 42 (2): 226–237.
22. Ksenofontov G.V. 1977 Elleyada. Moscow: Nauka. Ksenofontov G.V. 1992 Uraangkhay-sakhalar: Ocherki po drevney istorii yakutov, vol. 1, bk. 1. Yakutsk: Nats. Izd. Respubliki Sakha (Yakutiya).
23. Lippold S., Xu H., Ko A., Li M., Renaud G., Butthof A., Schröder R., Stoneking M. 2014 Human paternal and maternal demographic histories: Insights from high-resolution Y chromosome and mtDNA sequences. Investigative Genetics, vol. 5, Art. No. 13.
24. Ma P., Yang X., Yan S., Li S., Gao S., Han B., Hou K., Robbeets M., Wei L.-H., Cui L. 2021 Ancient Y-DNA with reconstructed phylogeny provides insights into the demographic history of paternal haplogroup N1a2-F1360. Journal of Genetics and Genomics, vol. 48 (12): 1130–1133.
25. Pakendorf B., Novgorodov I.N., Osakovskij V.L., Danilova A.P., Protod’jakonov A.P., Stoneking M. 2006 Investigating the effects of pre-historic migrations in Siberia: Genetic variation and the origins of Yakuts. Human Genetics, vol. 120: 334–353.
26. Pakendorf B., Novgorodov I.N., Osakovskij V.L., Stoneking M. 2007 Mating patterns amongst Siberian reindeer herders: Inferences from mtDNA and Y-chromosomal analyses. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, vol. 133 (3): 1013–1027.
27. Parnikova A.S. 1971 Rasseleniye yakutov v XVII – nachale XX vv. Yakutsk: Yakutknigoizdat.
28. Petrov D.M. 2017 Osvoyeniye basseyna reki Vilyuy yakutskimi rodami v XVI–XVIII vv. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, No. 414: 98–102.
29. Poznik G.D., Henn B.M., Yee M.-C., Sliwerska E., Euskirchen G.M., Lin A.A., Snyder M., Quintana-Murci L., Kidd J.M., Underhill P.A., Bustamante C.D. 2013 Sequencing Y chromosomes resolves discrepancy in time to common ancestor of males versus females. Science, vol. 341 (6145): 562–565.
30. Puzyrev V.P., Stepanov V.A., Golubenko M.V., Puzyrev K.V., Maksimova N.R., Kharkov V.N., Spiridonova M.G., Nogovitsyna A.N. 2003 Limii mtDNK i Y-khromosomy v populyatsii yakutov. Genetika, vol. 39 (7): 975–981.
31. Tambets K., Rootsi S., Kivisild T., Help H., Serk P., Loogväli E.-L., Tolk H.-V., Reidla M., Metspalu E., Pliss L., Balanovsky O., Pshenichnov A., Balanovska E., Gubina M., Zhadanov S., Osipova L., Damba L., Voevoda M., Kutuev I., Bermisheva M., Khusnutdinova E., Gusar V., Grechanina E., Parik J., Pennarun E., Richard C., Chaventre A., Moisan J.-P., Barác L., Pericić M., Rudan P., Terzić R., Mikerezi I., Krumina A., Baumanis V., Koziel S., Rickards O., De Stefano G.F., Anagnou N., Pappa K.I., Michalodimitrakis E., Ferák V., Füredi S., Komel R., Beckman L., Villems R. 2004 The western and eastern roots of the Saami— the story of genetic “outliers” told by mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosomes. American Journal of Human Genetics, vol. 74 (4): 661–682.
32. Thèves C., Balaresque P., Evdokimova L.E., Timofeev I.V., Alekseev A.N., Sevin A., Crubézy E., Gibert M. 2010 Population genetics of 17 Y-chromosomal STR loci in Yakutia. Forensic Science International: Genetics, vol. 4: e129–e130.
33. Tournebize R., Chu G., Moorjani P. 2022 Reconstructing the history of founder events using genome-wide patterns of allele sharing across individuals. PLoS Genetics, vol. 18 (6), Art. No. e1010243.
34. Ushnitsky V.V. 2015 Batulinskaya problema v etnogeneze sakha i buryatov. Severo-Vostochniy gumanitarniy vestnik, No. 2: 41–44.
35. Ushnitsky V.V. 2017 O vremeni zaseleniya Vilyuya yakutami. Problemy vostokovedeniya, No. 4: 48–51.
36. Xu T., Wang C.-C., Shrestha R., Wang L.-X., Zhang M., He Y., Kidd J.R., Kidd K.K., Jin L., Li H. 2014 Inferring population structure and demographic history using Y-STR data from worldwide populations. Molecular Genetics and Genomics, vol. 290 (1): 141–150.
37. YFull YTree v11.04.00. 2023 URL: https://www.yfull.com/tree/
38. Zerjal T., Dashnyam B., Pandya A., Kayser M., Roewer L., Santos F.R., Schiefenhövel W., Fretwell N., Jobling M.A., Harihara S., Shimizu K., Semjidmaa D., Sajantila A., Salo P., Crawford M.H., Ginter E.K., Evgrafov O.V., Tyler-Smith C. 1997 Genetic relationships of Asians and Northern Europeans, revealed by Y-chromosomal DNA analysis. American Journal of Human Genetics, vol. 60 (5): 1174–1183.
39. Zvénigorosky V., Duchesne S., Romanova L., Gérard P., Petit C., Petit M., Alexeev A., Melnichuk O., Gonzalez A., Fausser J.-L., Solovyev A., Romanov G., Barashkov N., Fedorova S., Ludes B., Crubézy E., Keyser C. 2020 The genetic legacy of legendary and historical Siberian chieftains. Communications Biology, vol. 3 (1), Art. No. 581.
Review
For citations:
Adamov D.S., Potanina A.Y., Bogunov Y.V., Zhabagin M.K., Balanovska E.V. Genetic Portraits of the Yakut Regional Populations (Based on Y-Chromosome Polymorphism Data). Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. 2025;53(2):144-154. https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2025.53.2.144-154
Views:
43
Email this article 