HLA GENETIC DIVERSITY AND LINGUISTIC VARIATION INEAST ASIAAlicia SANCHEZ-MAZAS, Estella S. POLONI, Guillaume JACQUES andLaurent SAGART2005

INTRODUCTION

HLA-DRB1

a cell surface protein encoding gene (DRB1), located on the short arm of chromosome 6 and surrounded by other HLA loci.

HLA genetic diversity in East Asian populations

• HLA-DRB1 genetic profiles generally highly heterogeneous

BUTsome alleles reach relatively high frequencies in specific East Asian populations

high level of genetic diversity in Continental East Asia

The “least controversial “phylogeny of the 40 East Asian languages

Correlations between genetic, geographic, and linguistic distances

All 40 populations:

linguistic families well differentiated geographically – no genetic correlation

Continental East Asians and Austronesians :

very different modes of evolution

Genetic diversity within and among linguistic groups

Austronesianthe most diverse

Chinesethe most homogeneous

Altaic,Tai-Kadai, Austroasiaticintermediate

a highly heterogeneous group of homogeneous populations

homogeneous groups of heterogeneous populations

intermediate

Linguistic hypotheses considered through HLA genetic analyses

•The Altaic family

•The Altaic-Sinitic linguistic border

•Northern-southern East Asian differentiation

•Proto-East-Asian and Austric hypotheses

The Altaic family

• intensive contacts among populations and/or with external groups

•multiple migrations or re-colonisations in Northeast Asia

•heterogeneous profiles

The Altaic-Sinitic linguistic border

•northern Chinese genetically undifferentiated from several Altaic populations (Manchu and Mongolian)

•northern Chinese dialects „altaicized” (Hashimoto ,1986)

Northern-southern East Asian differentiation

A. all East Asian populations share a unique origin in mainland Southeast Asia, with a further migration to the north

B. „pincer model”: two independent migrations into East Asia along a southern and a northern route

Present study: high correlation between genetic and geographic distances and a continuous pattern of genetic differentiation along a north-south geographic axis.

Proto-East-Asian and Austric hypotheses•Sino-Austronesian hypothesis (Sagart)•“Greater Austric” hypothesis (Benedict ,

Ruhlen, Peiros) HLA results do not support these

hypotheses

Tai-Kadai+Austronesian (Sagart, Benedict) HLA results indicate a genetic

relationship