[Mitochondrial DNA markers and the problem of origin of populations from the Indo-European linguistic family].

Data on the polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the Caucasoid populations, including Eastern Slavs living in Russia, were analyzed. For populations of the Indo-European linguistic family, a correlation was demonstrated between the mtDNA marker types BamH I-3/Ava II-9 (or -13)/Msp I-4 and the linguistic group to which the population belonged. The data on the geographic distribution of the marker Indo-European mtDNA types in different populations throughout the world and the genetic similarity of Caucasoid populations of the Middle East, Italy, and Russia were analyzed with respect to the types of the control region of mtDNA. The results confirm the hypothesis of Ammerman and Cavalli-Sforza about the spreading of the farming culture in Europe in the course of migration of Caucasoids of Middle Eastern origin in the early Neolithic periodic period. To test the hypotheses on the origin of Indo-Europeans and Indo-European languages with the use of mtDNA markers, additional information on mtDNA polymorphism in the world of Caucasoid populations is required.