[Ethnogenetics: adaptive structure of the gene pool of the mankind from the data on human polymorphic genetic markers]

Abstract

The mean FST value as a characteristic of gene frequency changes in a random sample of polymorphic genes from population gene pool provides the best indirect estimation of selectively neutral level of genetic variability. The set of test criteria, including chi 2, F and t, can be used in order to compare F1 with F and subdivide gene sample into three subgroups, or classes of genes which are differing from each other by the degree of variation of allelic frequencies. These three classes comprise the adaptive structure of gene pool and consist of the genes which are, respectively, under stabilizing and differentiating selection pressures or neutral ones. Adaptive structures of gene pools of aboriginal human populations at the main 9 geographical regions of the World, taken together, reveal statistically significantly correlation with adaptive structure of the total gene pool of the Mankind. But the correlation is rather small and therefore, the adaptive structure of human gene pool reveals between adaptive structures, the highest is for the USSR and the lowest are for the East-Asiatic and Australian regions. The proportion of neutral to non-neutral genes is about 50% in the average, with the range of variation 40-60% in different regions. But none of the polymorphic genes so far studied reveals constant neutrality in all regional conditions of environment and at different times of evolution history of human gene pool. Its adaptive structure underwent essential transformation from the Palaeolithic till the Postpalaeolithic times, but nevertheless, among the main features of contemporary adaptive structure of human gene pool, those predominate which are of the Palaeolithic origin.