Chen Shuanghui, Lu Yan, Chen Hao, Pan Yuwen, Liu Jiaojiao, Li Shilin, Jin Li, Mamatyusupu Dolikun, Xu Shuhua
State Key Laboratory of Genetics and Development of Complex Phenotypes, Center for Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
Mol Biol Evol. 2025 Jul 30;42(8). doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaf196.
The Kirgiz, a Turkic-speaking ethnic group with a rich nomadic heritage, represent a pivotal population for understanding human migration and adaptation in Central Asia. However, their genetic origins and admixture history remain largely unexplored. Here, we present the first comprehensive genomic study of Kirgiz populations from Xinjiang, China (XJ.KGZ, n = 36) and their counterparts in Kyrgyzstan (KRG), integrating genome-wide data of 2,406 global individuals. Our analyses reveal four primary ancestry components in XJ.KGZ: East Asian (41.7%), Siberian (25.6%), West Eurasian (25.2%), and South Asian (7.6%). Despite close genetic affinity (FST = 0.13%), XJ.KGZ and KRG diverged ∼447 years ago, with limited gene flow post-split. A two-wave admixture model elucidates their demographic history: an initial East-West Eurasian mixture ∼2,225 years ago, likely reflecting west-east contacts during the period of the Warring States and the Qin Dynasty, followed by secondary admixture events (∼875 to 425 years ago) linked to historical migrations under Mongol and post-Mongol rule. Local adaptation signatures implicate genes critical for cellular tight junction (e.g. PATJ), pathogen invasion (e.g. OR14I1), and cardiac functions (e.g. RYR2) with allele frequency deviations suggesting ancestry-specific selection. While no classical high-altitude adaptation genes (e.g. EPAS1) showed selection signals, RYR2 and C10orf67-implicated in hypoxia response in Tibetan fauna-displayed Western ancestry bias, hinting at convergent adaptation mechanisms. This study advances our understanding of the genetic makeup and admixture history of the Kirgiz people and provides novel insights into human dispersal in Central Asia.
吉尔吉斯人是一个说突厥语的民族,拥有丰富的游牧传统,是理解中亚地区人类迁徙和适应情况的关键群体。然而,他们的基因起源和混合历史在很大程度上仍未得到探索。在此,我们展示了对来自中国新疆的吉尔吉斯人群体(XJ.KGZ,n = 36)及其在吉尔吉斯斯坦的对应群体(KRG)的首次全面基因组研究,整合了2406个全球个体的全基因组数据。我们的分析揭示了XJ.KGZ中的四个主要祖先成分:东亚(41.7%)、西伯利亚(25.6%)、西欧亚(25.2%)和南亚(7.6%)。尽管遗传亲和力密切(FST = 0.13%),但XJ.KGZ和KRG在约447年前出现了分化,分裂后基因流动有限。一个两波混合模型阐明了他们的人口历史:约2225年前最初的东西方欧亚混合,可能反映了战国时期和秦朝期间的西向东接触,随后是与蒙古和后蒙古统治下的历史迁徙相关的二次混合事件(约875至425年前)。局部适应特征表明细胞紧密连接(如PATJ)、病原体入侵(如OR14I1)和心脏功能(如RYR2)相关基因的等位基因频率偏差暗示了特定祖先的选择。虽然没有经典的高海拔适应基因(如EPAS1)显示出选择信号,但参与藏系动物低氧反应的RYR2和C10orf67显示出西方祖先偏差,暗示了趋同适应机制。这项研究推进了我们对吉尔吉斯族基因构成和混合历史的理解,并为中亚地区人类扩散提供了新的见解。