RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 “Like Sugar in Milk”: Reconstructing the genetic history of the Parsi population
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 128777
DO 10.1101/128777
A1 Gyaneshwer Chaubey
A1 Qasim Ayub
A1 Niraj Rai
A1 Satya Prakash
A1 Veena Mushrif-Tripathy
A1 Massimo Mezzavilla
A1 Ajai Kumar Pathak
A1 Rakesh Tamang
A1 Sadaf Firasat
A1 Maere Reidla
A1 Monika Karmin
A1 Deepa Selvi-Rani
A1 Alla G. Reddy
A1 Jüri Parik
A1 Ene Metspalu
A1 Siiri Rootsi
A1 Kurush Dalal
A1 Shagufta Khaliq
A1 Syed Qasim Mehdi
A1 Lalji Singh
A1 Mait Metspalu
A1 Toomas Kivisild
A1 Chris Tyler-Smith
A1 Richard Villems
A1 Kumarasamy Thangaraj
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/04/19/128777.abstract
AB Background The Parsis, one of the smallest religious community in the world, reside in South Asia. Previous genetic studies on them, although based on low resolution markers, reported both Iranian and Indian ancestries. To understand the population structure and demographic history of this group in more detail, we analyzed Indian and Pakistani Parsi populations using high-resolution autosomal and uniparental (Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA) markers. Additionally, we also assayed 108 mitochondrial DNA markers among 21 ancient Parsi DNA samples excavated from Sanjan, in present day Gujarat, the place of their original settlement in India.Results Our extensive analyses indicated that among present-day populations, the Parsis are genetically closest to Middle Eastern (Iranian and the Caucasus) populations rather than their South Asian neighbors. They also share the highest number of haplotypes with present-day Iranians and we estimate that the admixture of the Parsis with Indian populations occurred ∼1,200 years ago. Enriched homozygosity in the Parsi reflects their recent isolation and inbreeding. We also observed 48% South-Asian-specific mitochondrial lineages among the ancient samples, which might have resulted from the assimilation of local females during the initial settlement.Conclusions We show that the Parsis are genetically closest to the Neolithic Iranians, followed by present-day Middle Eastern populations rather than those in South Asia and provide evidence of sex-specific admixture from South Asians to the Parsis. Our results are consistent with the historically-recorded migration of the Parsi populations to South Asia in the 7thcentury and in agreement with their assimilation into the Indian sub-continent’s population and cultural milieu “like sugar in milk”. Moreover, in a wider context our results suggest a major demographic transition in West Asia due to Islamic-conquest.