Search

Simple Summary: Phan Rang sheep is a term used to collectively refer to the sheep raised in the central Vietnam provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. Given the extreme weather conditions of their habitat, Phan Rang sheep are assumed to be heat-resilient. With climate change's mounting challenges, the sheep have become a focus of government-led breeding and conservation initiatives. However, there is a critical knowledge gap regarding the sheep's genetic information, including their origins, diversity, population structure, and genetics, as well as the morphological basis of their adaptive traits. This gap has hindered the development of breeding programs and genetic resource conservation efforts. In an effort to contribute to filling this knowledge gap, we employed a two-fold approach to investigate Phan Rang sheep's morphometrics and genetic lineages. First, we collected body conformational data to facilitate the quick identification of purebred individuals. Secondly, we collected and analyzed the mitochondrial DNA control region (D-loop) and the Y chromosome SRY and SRYM18 sequences to elucidate the maternal and paternal lineages of the sheep. Of the sheep analyzed for the D-loop, approximately one-third belonged to haplogroup A, while the remainder belonged to haplogroup B. For the paternal lineage, two main Y haplotypes, H5 and H6, were identified. Overall, the findings supported the hypothesis of dual origins for the Phan Rang sheep. The Phan Rang sheep, considered the sole indigenous breed of Vietnam, are primarily concentrated in the two central provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, with Ninh Thuan accounting for more than 90% of the country's sheep population. These provinces are known for their high temperatures and frequent droughts. The long-standing presence of the Phan Rang sheep in these regions suggests their potential resilience to heat stress—a trait of increasing interest in the face of global climate change. Despite the breed's significance, a critical knowledge gap hinders conservation and breeding programs. To address this, our study employed a two-pronged approach. First, we collected body conformational data to aid in breed identification. Second, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA (D-loop) and Y chromosome markers (SRY and SRYM18) to elucidate the maternal and paternal lineages. Among the 68 Phan Rang sheep analyzed for their D-loop, 19 belonged to mitochondrial haplogroup A, while 49 belonged to haplogroup B. The haplogroups can be subdivided into 16 unique haplotypes. All 19 rams surveyed for their paternal lineages belonged to haplotypes H5 and H6. These findings strongly support the hypothesis of dual origins for the Phan Rang sheep. This study presents the first genetic data for the Phan Rang breed, providing crucial insights for future research and conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is located in East Asia. With a high genetic and cultural diversity, human migration in China has always been a hot topic of genetics research. To explore the origins and migration routes of Chinese males, 3333 Chinese individuals (Han, Hui, Mongolia, Yi and Kyrgyz) with 27 Y-STRs and 143 Y-SNPs from published literature were analysed. Our data showed that there are five dominant haplogroups (O2-M122, O1-F265, C-M130, N-M231, R-M207) in China. Combining analysis of haplogroup frequencies, geographical positions and time with the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA), we found that haplogroups C-M130, N-M231 and R1-M173 and O1a-M175 probably migrated into China via the northern route. Interestingly, we found that haplogroup C*-M130 in China may originate in South Asia, whereas the major subbranches C2a-L1373 and C2b-F1067 migrated from northern China. The results of BATWING showed that the common ancestry of Y haplogroup in China can be traced back to 17 000 years ago, which was concurrent with global temperature increases after the Last Glacial Maximum.

According to historical sources, ancient Hungarians were made up of seven allied tribes and the fragmented tribes that split off from the Khazars, and they arrived from the Eastern European steppes to conquer the Carpathian Basin at the end of the ninth century AD. Differentiating between the tribes is not possible based on archaeology or history, because the Hungarian Conqueror artifacts show uniformity in attire, weaponry, and warcraft. We used Y-STR and SNP analyses on male Hungarian Conqueror remains to determine the genetic source, composition of tribes, and kin of ancient Hungarians. The 19 male individuals paternally belong to 16 independent haplotypes and 7 haplogroups (C2, G2a, I2, J1, N3a, R1a, and R1b). The presence of the N3a haplogroup is interesting because it rarely appears among modern Hungarians (unlike in other Finno-Ugric-speaking peoples) but was found in 37.5% of the Hungarian Conquerors. This suggests that a part of the ancient Hungarians was of Ugric descent and that a significant portion spoke Hungarian. We compared our results with public databases and discovered that the Hungarian Conquerors originated from three distant territories of the Eurasian steppes, where different ethnicities joined them: Lake Baikal-Altai Mountains (Huns/Turkic peoples), Western Siberia-Southern Urals (Finno-Ugric peoples), and the Black Sea-Northern Caucasus (Caucasian and Eastern European peoples). As such, the ancient Hungarians conquered their homeland as an alliance of tribes, and they were the genetic relatives of Asiatic Huns, Finno-Ugric peoples, Caucasian peoples, and Slavs from the Eastern European steppes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic evidence provided by the analysis of the Y chromosome is a valuable tool for the study of the evolution of paternal lineages. The dissection of S116, the major M269 subhaplogroup in Western and South-Western Europe uncovered an outstanding frequency of DF27 sublineage in the Basque region. In this study, a dissection of DF27 haplogroup was performed to the highest resolution to date in 340 individuals from the Basque Country. Our results describe frequency distribution patterns for some DF27 sublineages for the first time, and reveal a possible substructure of its paragroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]