Genetic diversity and phylogenetic structure of four Tibeto‐Burman‐speaking populations in Tibetan‐Yi corridor revealed by insertion/deletion polymorphisms

• Main Authors: Xing Zou, Guanglin He, Mengge Wang, Liwen Huo, Xu Chen, Jing Liu, Shouyu Wang, Ziwei Ye, Fei Wang, Zheng Wang, Yiping Hou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2020-04-01
• Series: Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine
• Subjects: forensic genetics; InDels; phylogenetic reconstruction; population genetics; Tibetan‐Yi corridor
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/mgg3.1140

Abstract Background Insertion/deletion polymorphisms (InDels), combined with all the desirable features of both short tandem repeat and single nucleotide polymorphism, have been used in archaeological and anthropological research, population genetics and forensic application. Methods Thirty InDels in 530 individuals residing in the Tibetan‐Yi corridor (142 Dujiangyan Tibetans, 164 Muli Tibetans, 187 Xichang Yis, and 37 Yanyuan Mosuos) were genotyped using the Investigator DIPplex. Forensic parameters and allele frequency spectrum were calculated. Genetic relationships between the investigated populations and worldwide and nationwide populations were assessed based on both the allele frequency distribution and genotype data. Results The combined powers of exclusion were 0.9807 (Dujiangyan Tibetan), 0.9880 (Muli Tibetan), 0.9852 (Xichang Yi) and 0.9892 (Yanyuan Mosuo). The combined powers of discrimination were 0.999999999983 (Dujiangyan Tibetan), 0.999999999942 (Muli Tibetan), 0.999999999982 (Xichang Yi) and 0.999999999962 (Yanyuan Mosuo), respectively. The comprehensive population comparisons among worldwide and nationwide populations uniformly illustrated that the investigated populations have a genetically closer relationship with Tibeto‐Burman‐speaking populations and geographically adjacent populations. Conclusion These 30 loci can be regarded as an efficient genetic tool in forensic individual identification and as a supplementary tool in paternity testing in Dujiangyan Tibetan, Muli Tibetan, Xichang Yi, and Yanyuan Mosuo. The genetic proximity between the four populations in the Tibetan‐Yi corridor and other populations is strongly correlated with the linguistic origin and geographical distance.