Ancient genome of the Chinese Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou

Panxin Du; Kongyang Zhu; Hui Qiao; Jianlin Zhang; Hailiang Meng; Zixiao Huang; Yao Yu; Shouhua Xie; Edward Allen; Jianxue Xiong; Baoshuai Zhang; Xin Chang; Xiaoying Ren; Yiran Xu; Qi Zhou; Sheng Han; Li Jin; Pianpian Wei; Chuan-Chao Wang; Shaoqing Wen

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.059

Ancient genome of the Chinese Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou

Curr Biol. 2024 Apr 8;34(7):1587-1595.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.059. Epub 2024 Mar 28.

Authors

Panxin Du¹, Kongyang Zhu², Hui Qiao³, Jianlin Zhang⁴, Hailiang Meng⁵, Zixiao Huang⁶, Yao Yu⁷, Shouhua Xie⁶, Edward Allen⁷, Jianxue Xiong⁷, Baoshuai Zhang⁸, Xin Chang⁷, Xiaoying Ren⁷, Yiran Xu⁷, Qi Zhou⁹, Sheng Han⁶, Li Jin¹⁰, Pianpian Wei¹¹, Chuan-Chao Wang¹², Shaoqing Wen¹³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, and Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, and Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁴ Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, Xi'an 710054, China.
⁵ Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁶ Department of History, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁷ Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁸ USTC Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
⁹ Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations, Shanghai 200020, China.
¹⁰ State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, and Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. Electronic address: lijin@fudan.edu.cn.
¹¹ Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. Electronic address: weipianpian@fudan.edu.cn.
¹² State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Department of Anthropology and Ethnology, Institute of Anthropology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Bioanthropology, School of Sociology and Anthropology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China. Electronic address: wang@xmu.edu.cn.
¹³ Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; MOE Laboratory for National Development and Intelligent Governance, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Center for the Belt and Road Archaeology and Ancient Civilizations, Shanghai 200433, China. Electronic address: wenshaoqing@fudan.edu.cn.

PMID: 38552628
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.059

Abstract

Emperor Wu (, Wudi) of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou dynasty, named Yuwen Yong (, 543-578 CE), was a highly influential emperor who reformed the system of regional troops, pacified the Turks, and unified the northern part of the country. His genetic profile and physical characteristics, including his appearance and potential diseases, have garnered significant interest from the academic community and the public. In this study, we have successfully generated a 0.343×-coverage genome of Wudi with 1,011,419 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the 1240k panel. By analyzing pigmentation-relevant SNPs and conducting cranial CT-based facial reconstruction, we have determined that Wudi possessed a typical East or Northeast Asian appearance. Furthermore, pathogenic SNPs suggest Wudi faced an increased susceptibility to certain diseases, such as stroke. Wudi shared the closest genetic relationship with ancient Khitan and Heishui Mohe samples and modern Daur and Mongolian populations but also showed additional affinity with Yellow River (YR) farmers. We estimated that Wudi derived 61% of his ancestry from ancient Northeast Asians (ANAs) and nearly one-third from YR farmer-related groups. This can likely be attributed to continuous intermarriage between Xianbei royal families, and local Han aristocrats.¹^,² Furthermore, our study has revealed genetic diversities among available ancient Xianbei individuals from different regions, suggesting that the formation of the Xianbei was a dynamic process influenced by admixture with surrounding populations.

Keywords: Emperor Wu; Xianbei; ancient DNA; facial reconstruction.

MeSH terms

Asian People* / genetics
China
DNA, Mitochondrial* / genetics
Genetics, Population
Genome
Humans
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Substances

DNA, Mitochondrial