Xiong Jianxue, Xu Yu, Chen Guoke, Yang Liping, Zhou Yawei, Pan Yiling, Wang Zhiyou, Bai Jiujiang, Zhang Baoshuai, Dong Guanghui, Pei Jingrong, Yang Xiaomin, Chen Liang, Kang Ningwu, Wu Yangyang, Wang Bangyan, Zhu Kongyang, Du Panxin, Li Xiaolong, Wen Hetong, Ma Xiaolin, Bai Tianyou, Gu Wanfa, Ye Yu, Wu Qian, Chang Xin, Tan Jingze, Gao Lei, Ge Dong, Li Bicheng, Yang Yishi, Feng Weiwei, Yang Yini, Sheng Pengfei, Meng Hailiang, Wang Rui, Zheng Jiajing, Jia Xin, Jin Li, Wang Chuan-Chao, Wen Shaoqing
Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Karamay Silk Road Digital Economy and Industrial Integration Innovation Research Center, Karamay 834000, China.
State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
Cell Genom. 2025 Oct 8;5(10):100976. doi: 10.1016/j.xgen.2025.100976. Epub 2025 Aug 19.
The Yellow and Yangtze river basins in China are among the world's oldest independent agricultural centers, known for the domestication of millet and rice, respectively, yet their genetic history is poorly understood. Here, we present genome-wide data from 74 Middle Neolithic genetic samples from these regions, showing marked genetic differentiation but bidirectional gene flow, supporting a demic diffusion model of mixed farming. Yellow River populations exhibit distinct genetic substructures resulting from interactions with surrounding groups during the mid-Neolithic expansion of millet agriculture. Upper Yellow River populations are genetically linked to Tibetan Plateau populations and possess the earliest adaptive EPAS1 haplotype (∼5,800 BP) among modern humans. Meanwhile, Yangtze River rice farmers show genetic affinity with Neolithic to present-day southeast coastal China and Austronesian populations, tracing the origins of proto-Austronesians farther north to the Yangtze River. These findings offer new insights into the impact of mid-Neolithic agricultural expansion on human genetic history.
中国的黄河流域和长江流域是世界上最古老的独立农业中心之一，分别以粟和水稻的驯化而闻名，但人们对它们的遗传历史却知之甚少。在此，我们展示了来自这些地区74个新石器时代中期遗传样本的全基因组数据，结果显示出显著的遗传分化但存在双向基因流动，这支持了混合农业的人口扩散模型。黄河流域的人群呈现出独特的遗传亚结构，这是新石器时代中期粟作农业扩张期间与周边群体相互作用的结果。黄河上游地区的人群在基因上与青藏高原人群相关联，并且拥有现代人类中最早的适应性EPAS1单倍型（约5800年前）。与此同时，长江流域的稻农在基因上与新石器时代至今的中国东南沿海人群以及南岛语族人群具有亲缘关系，将原始南岛语族的起源追溯到更北的长江流域。这些发现为新石器时代中期农业扩张对人类遗传历史的影响提供了新的见解。
