Croatian Genetic Heritage: Renewed Y Chromosome Story Two Decades Later

AbstractAimTo analyze an additional set of Y-Chromosome genetic markers to acquire a more detailed insight into the diversity of the Croatian population.MethodsThe total number of 518 Yfiler™ Plus profiles were genotyped. Allele, haplotype frequencies, and haplotype diversity were calculated using the STRAF software package v2.0.4. Genetic distances were quantified by Rst using AMOVA online tool from the YHRD. The evolutionary history was inferred using the neighbor-joining method of phylogenetic tree construction in MEGAX software. Whit Athey’s Haplogroup Predictor v5 was used for additional comparison with available regional and other European populations.ResultsThe total of 507 haplotypes were used for genetic STR analysis. The interpopulation study on 17 Y-STR markers shows the lowest genetic diversity between the Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian populations and the highest between the Croatian and Irish populations. Additional interpopulation comparison with the original 27 Y-STR markers (for the population with available data) was also performed. A total of 518 haplotypes were used in the determination of haplogroup diversity. Haplogroup I with its sublineage I2a expressed the highest prevalence. Haplogroup R, with its major sublineage R1a, is the second most abundant in the studied Croatian population, except for the subpopulation of Hvar, where E1b1b is the second most abundant haplogroup. Rare haplogroups also confirmed in this study are L, T, and Q. G1 is detected for the very first time in the Croatian population.ConclusionNew insight into differences between examined subpopulations of Croatia and their possible (dis)similarities with neighboring abroad populations was notified.