[Variability of mitochondrial DNA in three groups of indigenous inhabitants of Northern Asia].

Sequence variants of the hypervariable region I of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 125 individuals from three aboriginal population groups of northern Asia (Yakuts, Evens, and Koryaks) were analyzed. Unique types of mtDNA (mitotypes) were discovered in 80% of Koryaks, 78% of Evens, and 59% of Yakuts. The mitotypes observed were clustered into nine phylogenetically related groups, two of which, according to the data on the comparative analysis of Siberian and east Asian populations, were Koryak-specific, and one was Even-specific. Koryaks and Evens exhibited mtDNAs that were highly frequent in Ainu. The results are discussed in terms of genetic differentiation and the ethnogenesis of ethnic groups of northern Asia.