Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.
BMC Genomics. 2024 Oct 14;25(1):956. doi: 10.1186/s12864-024-10865-3.
Austroasiatic (AA)-speaking populations in northern Thailand are of significant interest due to their status as indigenous descendants and their location at the crossroads of AA prehistoric distribution across Southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, and Mainland Southeast Asia. However, the complexity of ethnic identification can result in inaccuracies regarding the origin and migration history of these populations. To address this, we have conducted a genome-wide SNP analysis of 89 individuals from two Lavue and three Lwa-endonym populations. We then combined our outcomes with previously published data to elucidate the genetic diversity and clustering of AA groups in northern Thailand.
Our findings align with existing linguistic classifications, revealing different genetic compositions among the three branches of the Mon-Khmer subfamily within the AA family: Monic, Khmuic, and Palaungic. Although the term "Lua" ethnicity is confusingly used to identify ethnic groups belonging to both Khmuic and Palaungic branches, our genomic data indicate that the Khmuic-speaking Lua living on the eastern side of the region are relatively distant from the Palaungic-speaking Lavue and Lwa populations living on the western side. The Lavue populations, primarily inhabiting mountainous areas, exhibit a genetic makeup unique to the AA family, with a close genetic relationship to the Karenic subgroup of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Conversely, the Lwa and Blang populations, residing in lowland river valleys, display genetic signatures resulting from admixture with Tai-Kadai-speaking ethnic groups.
Utilizing genome-wide SNP markers, our findings indicate genetic heterogeneity among the Lua, Lavue, and Lwa ethnic groups. The intricate interplay of genetics, cultural heritage, and historical influences has shaped these ethnic communities. Our study underscores the importance of accurate ethnic classifications, emphasizing the use of self-identified endonyms, names created and used by the ethnic groups themselves. This approach respects the AA communities in northern Thailand and acknowledges their significant contributions to advancing our understanding of genetic anthropology.
泰国北部的澳斯特罗-亚细亚（AA）语族群具有重要意义，因为他们是当地的原住民，位于 AA 史前分布区的十字路口，该分布区跨越了中国南部、印度次大陆和东南亚大陆。然而，族群身份的复杂性可能导致这些族群的起源和迁徙历史存在不准确之处。为了解决这个问题，我们对来自两个 Lavue 和三个 Lwa 自称的人群的 89 个人进行了全基因组 SNP 分析。然后，我们将我们的结果与之前发表的数据结合起来，阐明了泰国北部 AA 群体的遗传多样性和聚类。
我们的研究结果与现有的语言分类一致，揭示了 AA 家族内的孟高棉语族的三个分支（Monic、Khmuic 和 Palaungic）之间的不同遗传组成。尽管“Lua”族群的名称令人困惑，用于识别属于 Khmuic 和 Palaungic 分支的族群，但我们的基因组数据表明，居住在该地区东部的讲 Khmuic 的 Lua 族群与居住在西部的讲 Palaungic 的 Lavue 和 Lwa 族群相对较远。Lavue 族群主要居住在山区，具有 AA 家族的独特遗传组成，与汉藏语系的 Karenic 亚群有着密切的遗传关系。相比之下，居住在低地河谷的 Lwa 和 Blang 族群显示出与泰-卡岱语族群混合的遗传特征。
利用全基因组 SNP 标记，我们的研究结果表明 Lua、Lavue 和 Lwa 族群之间存在遗传异质性。遗传、文化遗产和历史影响的错综复杂相互作用塑造了这些族群社区。我们的研究强调了准确的族群分类的重要性，强调使用自我识别的自称，即族群自己创造和使用的名称。这种方法尊重泰国北部的 AA 社区，并承认他们对推进我们对遗传人类学的理解做出了重大贡献。
