Research
The origin of Eastern European Jews revealed by autosomal, sex chromosomal and mtDNA polymorphisms
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Correspondence: Avshalom Zoossmann-Diskin Avshalom.Zoossmann-Diskin@sheba.health.gov.il
Department of Haematology and Genetic Pathology, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
Department of Human Genetics, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
Current Address: Blood Bank, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan 52621, Israel
Biology Direct 2010, 5:57 doi:10.1186/1745-6150-5-57
Published: 6 October 2010Abstract
Background
This study aims to establish the likely origin of EEJ (Eastern European Jews) by genetic distance analysis of autosomal markers and haplogroups on the X and Y chromosomes and mtDNA.
Results
According to the autosomal polymorphisms the investigated Jewish populations do not share a common origin, and EEJ are closer to Italians in particular and to Europeans in general than to the other Jewish populations. The similarity of EEJ to Italians and Europeans is also supported by the X chromosomal haplogroups. In contrast according to the Y-chromosomal haplogroups EEJ are closest to the non-Jewish populations of the Eastern Mediterranean. MtDNA shows a mixed pattern, but overall EEJ are more distant from most populations and hold a marginal rather than a central position. The autosomal genetic distance matrix has a very high correlation (0.789) with geography, whereas the X-chromosomal, Y-chromosomal and mtDNA matrices have a lower correlation (0.540, 0.395 and 0.641 respectively).
Conclusions
The close genetic resemblance to Italians accords with the historical presumption that Ashkenazi Jews started their migrations across Europe in Italy and with historical evidence that conversion to Judaism was common in ancient Rome. The reasons for the discrepancy between the biparental markers and the uniparental markers are discussed.
Reviewers
This article was reviewed by Damian Labuda (nominated by Jerzy Jurka), Kateryna Makova and Qasim Ayub (nominated by Dan Graur).