Mitochondrial DNA analysis of eneolithic trypillians from Ukraine reveals neolithic farming genetic roots

Nikitin, Alexey G.; Potekhina, Inna; Lillie, Malcolm; Mallick, Swapan; Nikitin, Alexey; Potiekhina, I D; Reich, David; Rohland, Nadin

Abstract

The agricultural revolution in Eastern Europe began in the Eneolithic with the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture complex. In Ukraine, the Trypillian culture (TC) existed for over two millennia (ca. 5,400–2,700 BCE) and left a wealth of artifacts. Yet, their burial rituals remain a mystery and to date almost nothing is known about the genetic composition of the TC population. One of the very few TC sites where human remains can be found is a cave called Verteba in western Ukraine. This report presents four partial and four complete mitochondrial genomes from nine TC individuals uncovered in the cave. The results of this analysis, combined with the data from previous reports, indicate that the Trypillian population at Verteba carried, for the most part, a typical Neolithic farmer package of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages traced to Anatolian farmers and Neolithic farming groups of central Europe. At the same time, the find of two specimens belonging to haplogroup U8b1 at Verteba can be viewed as a connection of TC with the Upper Paleolithic European populations. At the level of mtDNA haplogroup frequencies, the TC population from Verteba demonstrates a close genetic relationship with population groups of the Funnel Beaker/ Trichterbecker cultural complex from central and northern Europe (ca. 3,950–2,500 BCE).

Citation

Nikitin, A. G., Potekhina, I., Lillie, M., Mallick, S., Nikitin, A., Potiekhina, I. D., Reich, D., & Rohland, N. (2017). Mitochondrial DNA analysis of eneolithic trypillians from Ukraine reveals neolithic farming genetic roots. PLoS ONE, 12(2), e0172952. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172952

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 13, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Feb 24, 2017
• Publication Date: Feb 24, 2017
• Deposit Date: Feb 28, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 28, 2017
• Journal: PLoS One
• Print ISSN: 1932-6203
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: ARTN e0172952
• Pages: e0172952
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172952
• Keywords: General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Agricultural and Biological Sciences; General Medicine
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/448986
• Publisher URL: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0172952
• Additional Information: This is a copy of an open access article published in: PLoS One, 2017, v.12 issue 2.
• Contract Date: Feb 28, 2017