The paternal perspective of the Slovenian population and its relationship with other populations

Abstract

Background: The Slovenian territory is geographically positioned between the Alps, the Adriatic Sea, the Pannonian basin and the Dinaric Mountains and, as such, has served as a passageway for different populations over different periods of time. Turbulent historic events and the diverse geography of the region have produced a diverse contemporary population whose genetic analysis could provide insight into past demographic events.

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse Y-chromosome biallelic and STR markers in a Slovenian population from five different regions.

Subjects and methods: A total of 42 Y-chromosomal biallelic markers and 17 Y-STRs were genotyped in 399 individuals from five different Slovenian regions.

Results: The analysis of Y-chromosome markers revealed 29 different haplogroups in the Slovenian population, with the most common being R1a1a, R1b, I2a1 and I1. Analysis of the genetic affiliations between different populations revealed strong affiliations of the Slovenian gene pool with West Slavic populations.

Conclusion: Analysis of Y-chromosomal markers in five Slovenian regions revealed a diverse genetic landscape. Slovenian population display close genetic affiliations with West Slavic populations. The homogenous genetic strata of the West Slavic populations and the Slovenian population suggest the existence of a common ancestral Slavic population in central European region.

• Population genetics
• Slavs
• Slovenian population
• Y-chromosome markers

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all donors for making this work possible; we also thank Dr Primož Rožman, MD and Dr Tadeja Dovč Drnovšek for their contributions to sample collection. The Slovenian Research Agency (program P3-054) supported this work, which is part of the PhD thesis of Andrej Zupan, BSc, in Biochemistry.