| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SAITOU Naruya National Institute of Genetics, Department of Population Genetics, Professor, 集団遺伝研究系, 教授 (30192587)
KUROSAKI Kunihiko Toho University, School of Medicine, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (60240701)
|
|---|
| Research Abstract |
DNAs contained in ancient biological materials are relatively preserved for a long time. This means ancient DNA could be advantageous to direct analysis of the past. Recent advances in biotechnology, especially techniques of DNA amplification by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and nucleotide sequence determination using fluorescent dideoxynucleotides, enable us to obtain DNA information from ancient remains easier. We previously examined the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of three populations that lived in the same location, Linzi, China, in different periods : 2,500 years ago (the Spring-Autumn era), 2,000 years ago (the Han era), and the present day. Two indices were used to compare the genetic differences: the frequency distributions of the radiating haplotype groups and the genetic distances among the populations. The results indicate that the genetic backgrounds of the three populations are distinct from each other. Inconsistent with the geographical distribution, the 2,500-year-old Linzi population showed greater genetic similarity to present-day European populations than to present-day east Asian populations. The 2,000-yearold Linzi population had features that were intermediate between the present-day European/2,5oo-year-old Linzi populations and the present-day east Asian populations. These relationships suggest the occurrence of drastic spatiotemporal changes in the genetic structure of Chinese people during the past 2,500 years. In this research project, to make clear spatiotemporal spread of the European-like lineage in ancient China, we collected human remains from ca. 3,000-year-old Yin ruins (the Shang era), collaborating with colleagues belonging to Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. A series of genetic investigations involving DNA extract from remains, DNA amplification by PCR, nucleotide sequence determination, and phylogenetic analysis are in progress.
|
