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Genetic analysis of human remains found in two eighteenth century Yakut graves at At-Dabaan

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Abstract

We extracted DNA from three skeletons belonging to the Yakut population, which were excavated from the At-Dabaan site (dating back 300 years) in the Sakha Republic (Russia). Ancient DNA was analyzed by autosomal STRs (short tandem repeats) and by the sequencing of the hypervariable region 1 (HV1) of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region. The results showed that these three skeletons were not close relatives but probably linked to the same clan structure. Comparison of their haplotypes with the haplotypes of 8,774 Eurasian individuals suggested a relative specificity and continuity of part of the Yakut mitochondrial gene pool during the last 3 centuries.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the French Department of Research, and the program of the French/Sakha cooperation, funds from the Action Cooperation Integrated from the French Minister of the research “Le complexe spatial Altaï-Baïkal. Plaque tournante des flux géniques en Haute Asie de la période protohistorique à l’époque moderne”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Moléculaire, Institut de Médecine Légale, 11 rue Humann, 67085, Strasbourg, France

    François-Xavier Ricaut, Christine Keyser-Tracqui & Bertrand Ludes

  2. Anthropobiologie, Université Paul Sabatier CNRS UMR 8555, 39 allées Jules Guesdes, 3100, Toulouse, France

    François-Xavier Ricaut, Eric Crubézy & Bertrand Ludes

  3. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Yakutsk State University, Belinsky Street 58, 677891, Yakutsk, Russia

    Sergei Kolodesnikov

  4. Yakutsk State University, Belinsky Street 58, 677891, Yakutsk, Russia

    Anatoly Nikoyevich Alekseev

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  1. François-Xavier Ricaut
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  2. Sergei Kolodesnikov
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  3. Christine Keyser-Tracqui
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  4. Anatoly Nikoyevich Alekseev
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  5. Eric Crubézy
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Correspondence to François-Xavier Ricaut.

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Ricaut, FX., Kolodesnikov, S., Keyser-Tracqui, C. et al. Genetic analysis of human remains found in two eighteenth century Yakut graves at At-Dabaan. Int J Legal Med 118, 24–31 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-003-0411-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-003-0411-6

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