Donata Luiselli
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 97540 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Donata Luiselli |
| PRENOMES | Donata |
| SOBRENOME | Luiselli |
| ASSINATURA | LUISELLI D |
| AFILIAÇÕES | University of Bologna |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2105-2478 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 39 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 43 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 39 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 1993 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2025 |
| ÍNDICE H | 4 |
Reconstructing life history and ancestry from poorly preserved skeletal remains
The poor preservation of archaeological skeletal remains, particularly those of infants, can result in partial representations of populations and significantly limit our understanding of the development and life of their infant segment. This study investigates the potential of combining dental histology, high spatial resolution biogeochemistry, radiocarbon dating, palaeoproteomic and ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses alongside traditional osteological …
Insights into Punic genetic signatures in the southern necropolis of Tharros (Sardinia)
This study provides the first preliminary insights into the population dynamics of the Punic site of Tharros. While the number of currently available samples does not allow definitive investigation of the connection with indigenous Sardinian groups, our results seem to confirm internal migratory phenomena in the central-western Mediterranean and female participation in the Punic mobility
A multifaceted approach towards investigating childbirth deaths in double burials
The formation of human populations in South and Central Asia
Ancient human movements through Asia Ancient DNA has allowed us to begin tracing the history of human movements across the globe. Narasimhan et al. identify a complex pattern of human migrations and admixture events in South and Central Asia by performing genetic analysis of more than 500 people who lived over the past 8000 years (see the Perspective by Schaefer and Shapiro). They establish key phases in the population prehistory of Eurasia, incl…
Multi-analytic study of a probable case of fibrous dysplasia (FD) from certosa monumental cemetery (Bologna, Italy)
The genetic legacy of the Yaghnobis
OBJECTIVES: The Yaghnobis are an ethno-linguistic minority historically settled along the Yaghnob River in the Upper-Zarafshan Valley in Tajikistan. They speak a language of Old Sogdian origin, which is the only present-day witness of the Lingua Franca used along the Silk Road in Late Antiquity. The aim of this study was to reconstruct the genetic history of this community in order to shed light on its isolation and genetic ancestry within the Eu…
Human population genetics of the Mediterranean
Iron Age Italic population genetics
This study provides a preliminary characterisation of the mtDNA variability of the Piceni of Novilara, as well as a kinship assessment of two peculiar burials
Genetic variability of CYP2D6 , CYP2B6 , CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 genes across the Italian Peninsula
The north-south structuring pattern showed by CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 underline how a deeper knowledge of the geographic distribution of alleles may improve clinical practice and help to avoid hypothetical bias in drug trials
Ripples on the surface. Surnames and genes in Sicily and Southern Italy
The apparent contradiction between surname structure and genetic homogeneity was resolved by figuring surnames as recent "ripples" deposited on a vast and ancient homogeneous genetic "surface
A bio-cultural approach to the study of food choice
East of the Andes
OBJECTIVES: Assuming that the differences between the Andes and the Amazon rainforest at environmental and historical levels have influenced the distribution patterns of genes, languages, and cultures, the maternal and paternal genetic reconstruction of the Peruvian Amazon populations was used to test the relationships within and between these two extreme environments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed four Peruvian Amazon communities (Ashaninka…
Positive selection of lactase persistence among people of Southern Arabia
OBJECTIVE: Frequency patterns of the lactase persistence (LP)-associated -13,915 G allele and archaeological records pointing to substantial role played by southern regions in the peopling and domestication processes that involved the Arabian Peninsula suggest that Southern Arabia plausibly represented the center of diffusion of such adaptive variant. Nevertheless, a well-defined scenario for evolution of Arabian LP is still to be elucidated and …
Inferring chronological age from DNA methylation patterns of human teeth
We propose for the first time the evaluation of DNA methylation at ELOVL2, FHL2, and PENK genes as a powerful tool to predict age in modern teeth for anthropological applications. Future studies are needed to apply this method also to historical and relatively ancient human teeth
Genomic evidence for the Pleistocene and recent population history of Native Americans
Genetic history of Native Americans Several theories have been put forth as to the origin and timing of when Native American ancestors entered the Americas. To clarify this controversy, Raghavan et al. examined the genomic variation among ancient and modern individuals from Asia and the Americas. There is no evidence for multiple waves of entry or recurrent gene flow with Asians in northern populations. The earliest migrations occurred no earlier…
The epigenetic side of human adaptation
CONTEXT: Epigenetics represents a still unexplored research field in the understanding of micro- and macro-evolutionary mechanisms, as epigenetic changes create phenotypic diversity within both individuals and populations. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to dissect the landscape of studies focused on DNA methylation, one of the most described epigenetic mechanisms, emphasizing the aspects that could be relevant in human adaptations. METH…
Inferring the genetic history of lactase persistence along the Italian peninsula from a large genomic interval surrounding the LCT gene
OBJECTIVE: Although genetic variants related to lactase persistence in European populations were supposed to have firstly undergone positive selection in farmers from the Balkans and Central Europe, demographic and evolutionary dynamics that subsequently shaped the distribution of this adaptive trait across the continent have still to be elucidated. To deepen the knowledge about potential routes of diffusion of lactase persistence to Western Euro…
Increased efficiency in geographic ancestry assignment and human identification by combining lineage profiles
OBJECTIVES: This research is a first empirical attempt to quantify the increase of the among-groups variance and the probative value of a DNA evidence when combining profiles based on markers with uniparental inheritance. METHODS: Yfiler and HVS-I panels of loci were analyzed in 130 healthy unrelated males from six Iranian native groups. RESULTS: A separate analysis of DNA profiles at the two lineage markers failed to detect a population substruc…
A Mitochondrial Haplogroup Is Associated with Decreased Longevity in a Historic New World Population
Interest in mitochondrial influences on extended longevity has been mounting, as evidenced by a growing literature. Such work has demonstrated that some haplogroups are associated with increased longevity and that such associations are population specific. Most previous work, however, suffers from the methodological shortcoming that long-lived individuals are compared with "controls" who are born decades after the aged individuals. The only true …
Between A ndes and A mazon
The Yanesha are a Peruvian population who inhabit an environment transitional between the Andes and Amazonia. They present cultural traits characteristic of both regions, including in the language they speak: Yanesha belongs to the Arawak language family (which very likely originated in the Amazon/Orinoco lowlands), but has been strongly influenced by Quechua, the most widespread language family of the Andes. Given their location and cultural mak…
Analysis of Population Substructure in Two Sympatric Populations of Gran Chaco, Argentina
Sub-population structure and intricate kinship dynamics might introduce biases in molecular anthropology studies and could invalidate the efforts to understand diseases in highly admixed populations. In order to clarify the previously observed distribution pattern and morbidity of Chagas disease in Gran Chaco, Argentina, we studied two populations (Wichí and Criollos) recruited following an innovative bio-cultural model considering their complex …
MtDNA variation in East Africa unravels the history of afro‐asiatic groups
East Africa (EA) has witnessed pivotal steps in the history of human evolution. Due to its high environmental and cultural variability, and to the long‐term human presence there, the genetic structure of modern EA populations is one of the most complicated puzzles in human diversity worldwide. Similarly, the widespread Afro‐Asiatic (AA) linguistic phylum reaches its highest levels of internal differentiation in EA. To disentangle this complex eth…
High mitochondrial mutation rates estimated from deep‐rooting costa rican pedigrees
Estimates of mutation rates for the noncoding hypervariable Region I (HVR‐I) of mitochondrial DNA vary widely, depending on whether they are inferred from phylogenies (assuming that molecular evolution is clock‐like) or directly from pedigrees. All pedigree‐based studies so far were conducted on populations of European origin. In this article, we analyzed 19 deep‐rooting pedigrees in a population of mixed origin in Costa Rica. We calculated two e…
Mitochondrial polymorphisms associated with differential longevity do not impact lifetime‐reproductive success
Mitochondrial DNA variability in the Titicaca basin
The genetic affinities that characterize Central Andean populations are highly consistent with the succession of expansive polities in the region, culminating with the Incas. In the environs of Lake Titicaca, however, one subset of the present day Aymara-speaking population exhibits a peculiar position: perhaps a genetic correlate to their original Uro linguistic lineage (now extinct in the area), tallying with ethnohistorical claims for the dist…
Ethnicity and Evolution of the Biodemographic Structure of Arbëreshe and Italian Populations of the Pollino Area, southern Italy (1820-1984)
In the present study, we show how, through time, an ethnic mosaic and a changing social and economic context translated into intrapopulation differentiation and a change in genetic barriers between populations. Surname analysis was applied to a sample drawn from two centuries of marriage records in ten Arbëreshe and nine Italian villages of southern Italy to evaluate the evolution of internal differentiation and changes in genetic relationships b…
Between A ndes and A mazon
The Yanesha are a Peruvian population who inhabit an environment transitional between the Andes and Amazonia. They present cultural traits characteristic of both regions, including in the language they speak: Yanesha belongs to the Arawak language family (which very likely originated in the Amazon/Orinoco lowlands), but has been strongly influenced by Quechua, the most widespread language family of the Andes. Given their location and cultural mak…
A bio-cultural approach to the study of food choice
MtDNA variation in East Africa unravels the history of afro‐asiatic groups
East Africa (EA) has witnessed pivotal steps in the history of human evolution. Due to its high environmental and cultural variability, and to the long‐term human presence there, the genetic structure of modern EA populations is one of the most complicated puzzles in human diversity worldwide. Similarly, the widespread Afro‐Asiatic (AA) linguistic phylum reaches its highest levels of internal differentiation in EA. To disentangle this complex eth…
MtDNA variability in two Bantu‐speaking populations (Shona and Hutu) from Eastern Africa
In this study, we report novel data on mitochondrial DNA in two of the largest eastern Bantu‐speaking populations, the Shona from Zimbabwe and the Hutu from Rwanda. The goal is to evaluate the genetic relationships of these two ethnic groups with other Bantu‐speaking populations. Moreover, by comparing our data with those from other Niger‐Congo speaking populations, we aim to clarify some aspects of evolutionary and demographic processes accompan…
Human Microevolution and the Atlantic Slave Trade
Populations derived from the Atlantic slaving process provide unique opportunities for studying key evolutionary determinants of current patterns of human cultural and biological variation. Examination of the genetic patterning of the small plantation island of São Tomé (Gulf of Guinea) using a study design that avoids the use of preconceived ethno-linguistic labels to define genetic sampling units reveals that, despite the fact that maximum dist…
A multifaceted approach towards investigating childbirth deaths in double burials
Indentured migration and differential gender gene flow
After the emancipation of African slaves in the Caribbean, the labor void left by out‐migrating former slaves was filled by in‐migrating indentured servants from prepartition India and China. In some areas of the Caribbean such as Trinidad, Suriname, and Guyana, the East‐Indian migrants formed large communities. In this article, we report a study based on mtDNA and Y‐chromosomal markers of a small East‐Indian community from Limón, Costa Rica. The…
Inferring chronological age from DNA methylation patterns of human teeth
We propose for the first time the evaluation of DNA methylation at ELOVL2, FHL2, and PENK genes as a powerful tool to predict age in modern teeth for anthropological applications. Future studies are needed to apply this method also to historical and relatively ancient human teeth
High mitochondrial mutation rates estimated from deep‐rooting costa rican pedigrees
Estimates of mutation rates for the noncoding hypervariable Region I (HVR‐I) of mitochondrial DNA vary widely, depending on whether they are inferred from phylogenies (assuming that molecular evolution is clock‐like) or directly from pedigrees. All pedigree‐based studies so far were conducted on populations of European origin. In this article, we analyzed 19 deep‐rooting pedigrees in a population of mixed origin in Costa Rica. We calculated two e…
A multi‐perspective view of genetic variation in Cameroon
In this study, we report the genetic variation of autosomal and Y‐chromosomal microsatellites in a large Cameroon population dataset (a total of 11 populations) and jointly analyze novel and previous genetic data (mitochondrial DNA and protein coding loci) taking geographic and cultural factors into consideration. The complex pattern of genetic variation of Cameroon can in part be described by contrasting two geographic areas (corresponding to th…
Inferring the genetic history of lactase persistence along the Italian peninsula from a large genomic interval surrounding the LCT gene
OBJECTIVE: Although genetic variants related to lactase persistence in European populations were supposed to have firstly undergone positive selection in farmers from the Balkans and Central Europe, demographic and evolutionary dynamics that subsequently shaped the distribution of this adaptive trait across the continent have still to be elucidated. To deepen the knowledge about potential routes of diffusion of lactase persistence to Western Euro…
Fine characterization of the Iceman's mtDNA haplogroup
Starting from specimens of the intestinal contents of the so-called Tyrolean Iceman or Otzi (5,350-5,100 years before present), it was possible by polymerase chain reaction to amplify fragments of the human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region that correspond to the sequence found in 1994 at the Munich and Oxford laboratories and which had been attributed to the original DNA of the mummy. The particularly favorable condition of the specimens,…
Polymorphism of properdin factor B (Bf) in some Italian populations
In order to contribute to the definition of a map of the distribution of Bf polymorphism in Italy, we typed numerous population samples (for a total of 2033 individuals) from several regions of Italy: provinces of Bologna, Potenza and Matera, middle Sangro valley (Chieti) and northern, central and southern Sardinia. A new method was used which consisted of cellulose acetate electrophoresis followed by immunofixation and staining with Coomassie bl…
Analysis of the polymorphism of haptoglobins in Sardinia
The present study reports an analysis of the distribution of Hp polymorphism in Sardinia carried out on a sample of 871 individuals. The samples are examined according to the division by provinces and by historical-geographical regions. In both cases the phenotype Hp 2-1 has high frequency and a North-South trend. The Hp*1 is the most common gene in every part of Sardinia. In general the distribution of Hp in Sardinia is not significantly heterog…
Genetic structure of Quechua-speakers of the Central Andes and geographic patterns of gene frequencies in South Amerindian populations
A sample of 141 Quechua-speaking individuals of the population of Tayacaja, in the Peruvian Central Andes, was typed for the following 16 genetic systems: ABO, Rh, MNSs, P, Duffy, AcP1, EsD, GLOI, PGM1, AK, 6-PGD, Hp, Gc, Pi, C3, and Bf. The genetic structure of the population was analyzed in relation to the allele frequencies available for other South Amerindian populations, using a combination of multivariate and multivariable techniques. Spati…
Genetic Differentiation in South Amerindians Is Related to Environmental and Cultural Diversity
Fine characterization of the Iceman's mtDNA haplogroup
Starting from specimens of the intestinal contents of the so-called Tyrolean Iceman or Otzi (5,350-5,100 years before present), it was possible by polymerase chain reaction to amplify fragments of the human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region that correspond to the sequence found in 1994 at the Munich and Oxford laboratories and which had been attributed to the original DNA of the mummy. The particularly favorable condition of the specimens,…
The resolved location of Ötzi's mtDNA within haplogroup K
Indentured migration and differential gender gene flow
After the emancipation of African slaves in the Caribbean, the labor void left by out‐migrating former slaves was filled by in‐migrating indentured servants from prepartition India and China. In some areas of the Caribbean such as Trinidad, Suriname, and Guyana, the East‐Indian migrants formed large communities. In this article, we report a study based on mtDNA and Y‐chromosomal markers of a small East‐Indian community from Limón, Costa Rica. The…
Ethnicity and Evolution of the Biodemographic Structure of Arbëreshe and Italian Populations of the Pollino Area, southern Italy (1820-1984)
In the present study, we show how, through time, an ethnic mosaic and a changing social and economic context translated into intrapopulation differentiation and a change in genetic barriers between populations. Surname analysis was applied to a sample drawn from two centuries of marriage records in ten Arbëreshe and nine Italian villages of southern Italy to evaluate the evolution of internal differentiation and changes in genetic relationships b…
Tracing the distribution and evolution of lactase persistence in Southern Europe through the study of the T ‐13910 variant
We investigated the occurrence and intra‐allelic variability of the T ‐13910 variant located upstream of the lactase gene in 965 individuals from 20 different locations of Italy and Greece. The T ‐13910 frequency ranges from 0.072 (Sardinia) to 0.237 (North‐East Italy), with a statistically significant difference between North‐East Italians and other Italian populations. The comparison of the lactose tolerance predicted by T ‐13910 and that asses…
Human Microevolution and the Atlantic Slave Trade
Populations derived from the Atlantic slaving process provide unique opportunities for studying key evolutionary determinants of current patterns of human cultural and biological variation. Examination of the genetic patterning of the small plantation island of São Tomé (Gulf of Guinea) using a study design that avoids the use of preconceived ethno-linguistic labels to define genetic sampling units reveals that, despite the fact that maximum dist…
A multi‐perspective view of genetic variation in Cameroon
In this study, we report the genetic variation of autosomal and Y‐chromosomal microsatellites in a large Cameroon population dataset (a total of 11 populations) and jointly analyze novel and previous genetic data (mitochondrial DNA and protein coding loci) taking geographic and cultural factors into consideration. The complex pattern of genetic variation of Cameroon can in part be described by contrasting two geographic areas (corresponding to th…
MtDNA variability in two Bantu‐speaking populations (Shona and Hutu) from Eastern Africa
In this study, we report novel data on mitochondrial DNA in two of the largest eastern Bantu‐speaking populations, the Shona from Zimbabwe and the Hutu from Rwanda. The goal is to evaluate the genetic relationships of these two ethnic groups with other Bantu‐speaking populations. Moreover, by comparing our data with those from other Niger‐Congo speaking populations, we aim to clarify some aspects of evolutionary and demographic processes accompan…
Mitochondrial DNA variability in the Titicaca basin
The genetic affinities that characterize Central Andean populations are highly consistent with the succession of expansive polities in the region, culminating with the Incas. In the environs of Lake Titicaca, however, one subset of the present day Aymara-speaking population exhibits a peculiar position: perhaps a genetic correlate to their original Uro linguistic lineage (now extinct in the area), tallying with ethnohistorical claims for the dist…
Dissecting a human isolate
The surname-based sampling procedure can be exported and applied to larger and non-isolated populations
Linking Italy and the Balkans. A Y-chromosome perspective from the Arbereshe of Calabria
These results support the hypothesis that the surname-chosen Arbereshe are representative of the Y-chromosome genetic variability of the Albanian founder population. Accordingly, the Arbereshe genetic structure can contribute to the interpretation of the recent biological history of the southern Balkans. Intra-haplogroup analyses suggest that this area may have experienced important changes in the last five centuries, resulting in a marked increa…
Mitochondrial polymorphisms associated with differential longevity do not impact lifetime‐reproductive success
High mitochondrial mutation rates estimated from deep‐rooting costa rican pedigrees
Estimates of mutation rates for the noncoding hypervariable Region I (HVR‐I) of mitochondrial DNA vary widely, depending on whether they are inferred from phylogenies (assuming that molecular evolution is clock‐like) or directly from pedigrees. All pedigree‐based studies so far were conducted on populations of European origin. In this article, we analyzed 19 deep‐rooting pedigrees in a population of mixed origin in Costa Rica. We calculated two e…
Analysis of Population Substructure in Two Sympatric Populations of Gran Chaco, Argentina
Sub-population structure and intricate kinship dynamics might introduce biases in molecular anthropology studies and could invalidate the efforts to understand diseases in highly admixed populations. In order to clarify the previously observed distribution pattern and morbidity of Chagas disease in Gran Chaco, Argentina, we studied two populations (Wichí and Criollos) recruited following an innovative bio-cultural model considering their complex …
MtDNA variation in East Africa unravels the history of afro‐asiatic groups
East Africa (EA) has witnessed pivotal steps in the history of human evolution. Due to its high environmental and cultural variability, and to the long‐term human presence there, the genetic structure of modern EA populations is one of the most complicated puzzles in human diversity worldwide. Similarly, the widespread Afro‐Asiatic (AA) linguistic phylum reaches its highest levels of internal differentiation in EA. To disentangle this complex eth…
Increased efficiency in geographic ancestry assignment and human identification by combining lineage profiles
OBJECTIVES: This research is a first empirical attempt to quantify the increase of the among-groups variance and the probative value of a DNA evidence when combining profiles based on markers with uniparental inheritance. METHODS: Yfiler and HVS-I panels of loci were analyzed in 130 healthy unrelated males from six Iranian native groups. RESULTS: A separate analysis of DNA profiles at the two lineage markers failed to detect a population substruc…
A Mitochondrial Haplogroup Is Associated with Decreased Longevity in a Historic New World Population
Interest in mitochondrial influences on extended longevity has been mounting, as evidenced by a growing literature. Such work has demonstrated that some haplogroups are associated with increased longevity and that such associations are population specific. Most previous work, however, suffers from the methodological shortcoming that long-lived individuals are compared with "controls" who are born decades after the aged individuals. The only true …
Between A ndes and A mazon
The Yanesha are a Peruvian population who inhabit an environment transitional between the Andes and Amazonia. They present cultural traits characteristic of both regions, including in the language they speak: Yanesha belongs to the Arawak language family (which very likely originated in the Amazon/Orinoco lowlands), but has been strongly influenced by Quechua, the most widespread language family of the Andes. Given their location and cultural mak…
Genomic evidence for the Pleistocene and recent population history of Native Americans
Genetic history of Native Americans Several theories have been put forth as to the origin and timing of when Native American ancestors entered the Americas. To clarify this controversy, Raghavan et al. examined the genomic variation among ancient and modern individuals from Asia and the Americas. There is no evidence for multiple waves of entry or recurrent gene flow with Asians in northern populations. The earliest migrations occurred no earlier…
The epigenetic side of human adaptation
CONTEXT: Epigenetics represents a still unexplored research field in the understanding of micro- and macro-evolutionary mechanisms, as epigenetic changes create phenotypic diversity within both individuals and populations. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to dissect the landscape of studies focused on DNA methylation, one of the most described epigenetic mechanisms, emphasizing the aspects that could be relevant in human adaptations. METH…
Inferring the genetic history of lactase persistence along the Italian peninsula from a large genomic interval surrounding the LCT gene
OBJECTIVE: Although genetic variants related to lactase persistence in European populations were supposed to have firstly undergone positive selection in farmers from the Balkans and Central Europe, demographic and evolutionary dynamics that subsequently shaped the distribution of this adaptive trait across the continent have still to be elucidated. To deepen the knowledge about potential routes of diffusion of lactase persistence to Western Euro…
Biology (32 obras) · Demography (31 obras) · Population (25 obras) · Geography (24 obras) · Forensic and Genetic Research (23 obras) · Evolutionary biology (22 obras) · Genetics (22 obras) · Gene (20 obras) · Genetics (16 obras) · Sociology (15 obras)