Mitochondrial DNA Portrait of Latvians: Towards the Understanding of the Genetic Structure of Baltic‐Speaking Populations

• Published in: Annals of human genetics Vol. 70; no. 4; pp. 439 - 458
• Main Authors: Pliss, L., Tambets, K., Loogväli, E.‐L., Pronina, N., Lazdins, M., Krumina, A., Baumanis, V., Villems, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2006
• Subjects: Baltic States; Baltic‐speaking populations; Chromosomes, Human, Y - genetics; Complementarity Determining Regions - genetics; DNA, Mitochondrial; European Continental Ancestry Group - genetics; Female; Genetic Linkage; Genetic Variation; Genetics, Population; haplogroups; Haplotypes; Humans; Language; Latvia; Latvians; Male; mitochondrial DNA; Open Reading Frames - genetics; Phylogeny; population genetics; Latvia; Baltic States
• ISSN: 0003-4800; 1469-1809
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1809.2005.00238.x

Summary Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation was investigated in a sample of 299 Latvians, a Baltic‐speaking population from Eastern Europe. Sequencing of the first hypervariable segment (HVS‐I) in combination with analysis of informative coding region markers revealed that the vast majority of observed mtDNAs belong to haplogroups (hgs) common to most European populations. Analysis of the spatial distribution of mtDNA haplotypes found in Latvians, as well as in Baltic‐speaking populations in general, revealed that they share haplotypes with all neighbouring populations irrespective of their linguistic affiliation. Hence, the results of our mtDNA analysis show that the previously described sharp difference between the Y‐chromosomal hg N3 distribution in the paternally inherited gene pool of Baltic‐speaking populations and of other European Indo‐European speakers does not have a corresponding maternal counterpart.