Y-chromosome polymorphisms in Nogai subethnicities in the context of Caucasian gene pools

The study of genetic history through Y-chromosome polymorphism in modern and ancient populations helps reconstruct ethnogenesis. Research on the Nogai gene pool, as descendants of ancient nomads, allows tracing migration routs in the Eurasian steppe corridor. The Nogai ethnic group formed in the Middle Ages, as a result of interactions of the populations of the Central Asian, West Siberian, Ural-Volga, North Caucasian, and East European historical and cultural regions. A unified expanded panel of Y-chromosome haplogroups was used to study four main populations of the Nogai people: Astrakhan, Kuban, Stavropol, and Karanonogais. The total sample (N=368) revealed a diverse spectrum of 32 Y-haplogroups, with no single haplogroup dominating in any of these groups. Astrakhan Nogais show high frequencies of C-M217 and J-M172, while Kuban Nogais have an exceptionally high frequency of R-M198 and its “European” subclade R-M458. Karanogais display a distinct combination of R-M198(xM458), N-M178, R-Y13887, and J-M172(xM67, M12). Stavropol Nogais combine R-M198(xM458) and C-M217. The Nogai gene pool is characterized by the accumulation of “steppe” Y-chromosome variants, which is obviously related to the tribes of the steppe belt of Eurasia, probably of pre-Turkic origin. Increased J-M172 frequency may result from ancient Neolithic migrations along the Caspian coast and later nomadic movements. “Steppe” variants of the Nogai Y-chromosome popu­lation were also identified in samples from burials at the Mamai-Gora burial ground in the Northern Black Sea region (15th century AD). The greatest genetic similarity is observed between the Nogais and other Turkic peoples of the Caucasus, who are located on the periphery of the “Nogai” cluster within the framework of the Caucasian genetic landscape

Ethnic group · Gene pool · Genetic similarity · Genetic variation · Haplogroup · Haplotype · Steppe · Subclade · Forensic and Genetic Research · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Genetic diversity and population structure