Maternal genetic structure in ancient Shandong between 9500 and 1800 years ago

Juncen Liu; Wen Zeng; Bo Sun; Xiaowei Mao; Yongsheng Zhao; Fen Wang; Zhenguang Li; Fengshi Luan; Junfeng Guo; Chao Zhu; Zimeng Wang; Chengmin Wei; Ming Zhang; Peng Cao; Feng Liu; Qingyan Dai; Xiaotian Feng; Ruowei Yang; Weihong Hou; Wanjing Ping; Xiaohong Wu; E Andrew Bennett; Yichen Liu; Qiaomei Fu

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2021.01.029

Maternal genetic structure in ancient Shandong between 9500 and 1800 years ago

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2021 Jun 15;66(11):1129-1135. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2021.01.029. Epub 2021 Jan 26.

Authors

Juncen Liu¹, Wen Zeng², Bo Sun³, Xiaowei Mao⁴, Yongsheng Zhao², Fen Wang⁵, Zhenguang Li³, Fengshi Luan⁵, Junfeng Guo⁶, Chao Zhu³, Zimeng Wang³, Chengmin Wei³, Ming Zhang¹, Peng Cao⁷, Feng Liu⁷, Qingyan Dai⁷, Xiaotian Feng⁷, Ruowei Yang⁷, Weihong Hou⁴, Wanjing Ping⁷, Xiaohong Wu⁸, E Andrew Bennett⁴, Yichen Liu⁴, Qiaomei Fu⁹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
³ Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Jinan 250012, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.
⁵ School of History and Culture, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
⁶ Jinan Municipal Institute of Archaeology, Jinan 250062, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.
⁸ School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
⁹ Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: fuqiaomei@ivpp.ac.cn.

PMID: 36654346
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2021.01.029

Abstract

Archaeological and ancient DNA studies revealed that Shandong, a multi-culture center in northern coastal China, was home to ancient populations having ancestry related to both northern and southern East Asian populations. However, the limited temporal and geographical range of previous studies have been insufficient to describe the population history of this region in greater detail. Here, we report the analysis of 86 complete mitochondrial genomes from the remains of 9500 to 1800-year-old humans from 12 archaeological sites across Shandong. For samples older than 4600 years before present (BP), we found haplogroups D4, D5, B4c1, and B5b2, which are observed in present-day northern and southern East Asians. For samples younger than 4600 BP, haplogroups C (C7a1 and C7b), M9 (M9a1), and F (F1a1, F2a, and F4a1) begin to appear, indicating changes in the Shandong maternal genetic structure starting from the beginning of the Longshan cultural period. Within Shandong, the genetic exchange is possible between the coastal and inland regions after 3100 BP. We also discovered the B5b2 lineage in Shandong populations, with the oldest Bianbian individual likely related to the ancestors of some East Asians and North Asians. By reconstructing a maternal genetic structure of Shandong populations, we provide greater resolution of the population dynamics of the northern coastal East Asia over the past nine thousand years.

Keywords: Ancient DNA; East Asia; Human; Mitochondrial DNA; Neolithic.