Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41360973›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Rare uniparental lineages reveal external ancestries in the gene pool of the Italian linguistic enclave of Grecìa Salentina.

Francesca Menato, Gerardo Pepe, Ester Mercuri, Francesco Zangaro, Giulia Cangialosi, Carla Jodice, Martina Gulì, Fulvio Cruciani, Beniamino Trombetta, Manuela Helmer-Citterich and 6 more

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Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Francesca MenatoDepartment of Biology, University "Tor Vergata", Rome, 00133, Italy.
Gerardo PepeDepartment of Biology, University "Tor Vergata", Rome, 00133, Italy.
Ester MercuriDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, 73100, Italy.
Francesco ZangaroDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, 73100, Italy.
Giulia CangialosiDepartment of Biology, University "Tor Vergata", Rome, 00133, Italy.
Carla JodiceDepartment of Biology, University "Tor Vergata", Rome, 00133, Italy.
Martina GulìInstitute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, Rome, 00185, Italy.
Fulvio CrucianiDepartment of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy.
Beniamino TrombettaDepartment of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy.
Manuela Helmer-CitterichDepartment of Biology, University "Tor Vergata", Rome, 00133, Italy.
Eugenia D'AtanasioInstitute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, Rome, 00185, Italy.
Cristina GuardianoDepartment of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, 42121, Italy.
Giuseppe LongobardiDepartment of Language and Linguistic Science, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
Ornella SeminoDepartment of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy.
Andrea NovellettoDepartment of Biology, University "Tor Vergata", Rome, 00133, Italy. novelletto@bio.uniroma2.it.
Valeria SpecchiaDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, 73100, Italy.

Funding

European Union - Next Generation EU National Center for Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology, CN3 - Spoke 7 (code: CN00000041)European Union - Next Generation EU PRIN 2022 BZYFBEEuropean Union - Next Generation EU PRIN 2022 PC2TSX
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Can language be a valuable predictor of genetic diversity even at the level of extremely circumscribed areas of linguistic diversity? We report on the analysis of mtDNA and NRY variation extracted from the whole-genome sequencing of 27 natives of Grecìa Salentina, a geographic area in southern Italy home to a historic Greek-speaking community. With respect to mtDNA, we found similarities with samples from Central Italy and Eastern Balkan, mainly because of the high haplogroups N, K and J1 frequencies. Detailed phylogeographic analyses of these haplogroups reveal instances of Grecìa Salentina-specific lineages. With respect to the NRY, we find similarities with other samples from southern Italy, Anatolia and the Middle East, because of the overwhelming frequency of haplogroup J2a. The new J2a lineages, many of which are specific to Grecìa Salentina, greatly expand the phylogeny of the haplogroup. Haplogroup R1a is also overrepresented, with a new lineage belonging to the GML6 subclade, which is common in the Western Balkans. All the above haplogroups were long recognized as markers of post-Neolithic East-to-West movements through the Balkan Peninsula by land or off its coasts by sea. We conclude that the peculiar component detected in the Grecìa Salentina gene pool is the result of past immigration. Specifically, there was a demic contribution of both sexes, which foreshadows the build-up of an entire community, and subsequent dilution in the surrounding gene pool by admixture occurred only to a limited extent. These results add a genomic dimension to our knowledge of the identity of the Greek-speaking community settled in Grecìa Salentina. To date, the peculiarity of the Grecìa Salentina population was only its linguistic identity, but we now show that it is also supported by a genetic component. The more general hypothesis of a connection between the demic and linguistic structure of the area can now be tested by comparing the genetics of Grecìa Salentina to those of other linguistic enclaves of Balkan origin in southern Italy.

Indexed as

DNA, MitochondrialGene PoolFemaleGenetics, PopulationGenetic VariationHaplotypesHumansItalyLanguageLinguisticsMalePhylogenyPhylogeographyDNA, MitochondrialLinguistic minorityMagna graeciaMitochondrial DNAWhole-genome sequencingY chromosome

Identifiers

PMID41360973
PMCPMC12796409

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.