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Autosomal genetics and Y-chromosome haplogroup L1b-M317 reveal Mount Lebanon Maronites as a persistently non-emigrating population

European Journal of Human Genetics volume 29, pages 581–592 (2021) Cite this article

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Abstract

Currently, there are 18 different religious communities living in Lebanon. While evolving primarily within Lebanon, these communities show a level of local isolation as demonstrated previously from their Y-haplogroup distributions. In order to trace the origins and migratory patterns that may have led to the genetic isolation and autosomal clustering in some of these communities we analyzed Y-chromosome STR and SNP sample data from 6327 individuals, in addition to whole genome autosomal sample data from 609 individuals, from Mount Lebanon and other surrounding communities. We observed Y chromosome L1b Levantine STR branching that occurred around 5000 years ago. Autosomal DNA analyses suggest that the North Lebanese Mountain Maronite community possesses an ancestral Fertile Crescent genetic component distinct from other populations in the region. We suggest that the Levantine L1b group split from the Caucasus ancestral group around 7300 years ago and migrated to the Levant. This event was distinct from the earlier expansions from the Caucasus region that contributed to the wider Levantine populations. Differential cultural adaption by populations from the North Lebanese Mountains are clearly aligned with the L1b haplotype STR haplogroup clusters, indicating pre-existing and persistent cultural barriers marked by the transmission of L1b lineages. Our findings highlight the value of uniparental haplogroups and STR haplotype data for elucidating biosocial events among these populations.

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Fig. 1: Reduced median network of L1b M20 showing 13 STR haplotype distribution among populations; area is proportional to haplotype frequency, and color indicates populations.
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Fig. 2: PCA computed and displayed for the full list of populations indicated in Supplementary Tables 2 and 6.
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Fig. 3: ADMIXTURE plot for admixtures computed on the full population list with populations plotted listed in Supplementary Tables 2 and 6.
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.
Fig. 4: Patterns of homozygosity in 4 religious groups in Lebanon.
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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioinformatics and Pattern Discovery, IBM T. J. Watson Research Centre, Yorktown Hgts, NY, 10598, USA

    Daniel E. Platt

  2. University of Balamand, East Med Res Institute, School of Medicine, P.O. Box 33, Amioun, Lebanon

    Hovig Artinian, Francis Mouzaya, Francois G. Kamar, Nassim Nicolas Taleb & Pierre Zalloua

  3. Department of Arts and Archeology, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon

    Wissam Khalil

  4. Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Elizabeth Matisoo-Smith

  5. Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Barcelona, Spain

    Francesc Calafell

  6. Risk Engineering, School of Engineering, New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Nassim Nicolas Taleb

  7. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Pierre Zalloua

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  1. Daniel E. Platt
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Correspondence to Pierre Zalloua.

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Platt, D.E., Artinian, H., Mouzaya, F. et al. Autosomal genetics and Y-chromosome haplogroup L1b-M317 reveal Mount Lebanon Maronites as a persistently non-emigrating population. Eur J Hum Genet 29, 581–592 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-020-00765-x

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