RT Journal Article
T1 Gene flow and genetic structure in the Galician population (NW Spain) according to Alu insertions
A1 Varela López, Tito Antonio
A1 Fariña, José
A1 Pérez Diéguez, Lois
A1 Lodeiro Ainsua, Rosa
AB Background: The most recent Alu insertions reveal different degrees of polymorphism in humanpopulations, and a series of characteristics that make them particularly suitable genetic markers for HumanBiology studies. This has led these polymorphisms to be used to analyse the origin and phylogeneticrelationships between contemporary human groups. This study analyses twelve Alu sequences in a sampleof 216 individuals from the autochthonous population of Galicia (NW Spain), with the aim of studying theirgenetic structure and phylogenetic position with respect to the populations of Western and CentralEurope and North Africa, research that is of special interest in revealing European population dynamics,given the peculiarities of the Galician population due to its geographical situation in western Europe, andits historical vicissitudes.Results: The insertion frequencies of eleven of the Alu elements analysed were within the variability rangeof European populations, while Yb8NBC125 proved to be the lowest so far recorded to date in Europe.Taking the twelve polymorphisms into account, the GD value for the Galician population was 0.268. Thecomparative analyses carried out using the MDS, NJ and AMOVA methods reveal the existence of spatialheterogeneity, and identify three population groups that correspond to the geographic areas of WesternCentral Europe, Eastern Mediterranean Europe and North Africa. Galicia is shown to be included in theWestern-Central European cluster, together with other Spanish populations. When only consideringpopulations from Mediterranean Europe, the Galician population revealed a degree of genetic flow similarto that of the majority of the populations from this geographic area.Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that the Galician population, despite its geographic situationin the western edge of the European continent, occupies an intermediate position in relation to otherEuropean populations in general, and Iberian populations in particular. This confirms the important rolethat migratory movements have had in the European gene pool, at least since Neolithic times. In turn, theMDS and NJ analyses place Galicia within the group comprised of Western-Central European populations,which is justified by the influence of Germanic peoples on the Galician population during the Middle Ages.However, it should also be noted that some of the markers analysed have a certain degree ofdifferentiation, possibly due to the region's position as a 'cul-de-sac' in terms of Iberian populationdynamics.
PB BMC
SN 1471-2156
YR 2008
FD 2008
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/22900
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/22900
LA eng
NO Varela, T.A., Fariña, J., Diéguez, L.P. et al. Gene flow and genetic structure in the Galician population (NW Spain) according to Alu insertions. BMC Genet 9, 79 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2156-9-79
NO This study was financed by research budgets from the Universities of Santiago de Compostela and Vigo
DS Minerva
RD 4 may 2026