engleski

Maternal Genography of Croatian Roma

Contemporary populations’ genomic diversity reflects past demographic and evolutionary events. Genetic distinctiveness is especially pronounced in isolated populations where the exchange of genes with other populations is minimal. The Roma, transnational minority population of Indian origin is an example of a founder population with centuries’ long sociocultural isolation which left traces in their gene pool showing considerable differences compared with other populations. The general objective of this study is to determine the variations mtDNA lineages in tree socio-culturally different Roma populations from Croatia, in order to gain insight into their temporal and spatial ancestral differences. Therefore we analyzed mtDNA of 160 Balkan Roma, 200 of Vlax Roma from Baranja and 150 Vlax Roma from Međimurje. All three populations show the same major haplogroups M and H, suggesting their common Indian origin and substantial admixture with surrounding population, respectively. Nevertheless intra and interpopulation haplotype analyses suggest significant differences among investigated populations in terms of different degree of endogamy, accompanied by genetic drift, and different sources of admixture and migration routs.

Roma; mtDNA; polymorphisms

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