Interestingly,
the only Caucasoid haplogroups present in the Mongolian population are J
and R1a1, with R1a1 found in the highest frequency (83%) in the Khoton.
Gene (Article in press)
Genetic features of Mongolian ethnic groups revealed by Y-chromosomal analysis
Toru Katoh et al.
Abstract
About
20 ethnic groups reside in Mongolia. On the basis of genetic and
anthropological studies, it is believed that Mongolians have played a
pivotal role in the peopling of Central and East Asia. However, the
genetic relationships among these ethnic groups have remained obscure,
as have their detailed relationships with adjacent populations. We
analyzed 16 binary and 17 STR polymorphisms of human Y chromosome in 669
individuals from nine populations, including four indigenous ethnic
groups in Mongolia (Khalkh, Uriankhai, Zakhchin, and Khoton). Among
these four Mongolian populations, the Khalkh, Uriankhai, and Zakhchin
populations showed relatively close genetic affinities to each other and
to Siberian populations, while the Khoton population showed a closer
relationship to Central Asian populations than to even the other
Mongolian populations. These findings suggest that the major Mongolian
ethnic groups have a close genetic affinity to populations in northern
East Asia, although the genetic link between Mongolia and Central Asia
is not negligible.
