Ancient Mitogenomes Reveal the Origins and Genetic Structure of the Neolithic Shimao Population in Northern China

Jiayang Xue; Wenjun Wang; Jing Shao; Xiangming Dai; Zhouyong Sun; Jacob D Gardner; Liang Chen; Xiaoning Guo; Nan Di; Xuesong Pei; Xiaohong Wu; Ganyu Zhang; Can Cui; Peng Cao; Feng Liu; Qingyan Dai; Xiaotian Feng; Ruowei Yang; Wanjing Ping; Lizhao Zhang; Nu He; Qiaomei Fu

doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.909267

Ancient Mitogenomes Reveal the Origins and Genetic Structure of the Neolithic Shimao Population in Northern China

Front Genet. 2022 May 27:13:909267. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.909267. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jiayang Xue^{1

2}, Wenjun Wang^{1

3}, Jing Shao⁴, Xiangming Dai⁵, Zhouyong Sun⁴, Jacob D Gardner¹, Liang Chen⁶, Xiaoning Guo⁴, Nan Di⁴, Xuesong Pei⁴, Xiaohong Wu⁷, Ganyu Zhang¹, Can Cui^{1

2}, Peng Cao¹, Feng Liu¹, Qingyan Dai¹, Xiaotian Feng¹, Ruowei Yang¹, Wanjing Ping^{1

2}, Lizhao Zhang¹, Nu He⁸, Qiaomei Fu^{1

2

9}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
³ Science and Technology Archaeology, National Centre for Archaeology, Beijing, China.
⁴ Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, Xi'an, China.
⁵ Archaeology Institute of National Museum of China, Beijing, China.
⁶ School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
⁷ School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing, China.
⁸ Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China.
⁹ Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Shimao City is considered an important political and religious center during the Late Neolithic Longshan period of the Middle Yellow River basin. The genetic history and population dynamics among the Shimao and other ancient populations, especially the Taosi-related populations, remain unknown. Here, we sequenced 172 complete mitochondrial genomes, ranging from the Yangshao to Longshan period, from individuals related to the Shimao culture in northern Shaanxi Province and Taosi culture in southern Shanxi Province, Middle Yellow River basin. Our results show that the populations inhabiting Shimao City had close genetic connections with an earlier population in the Middle Neolithic Yangshao period of northern Shaanxi Province, revealing a mostly local origin for the Shimao Society. In addition, among the populations in other regions of the Yellow River basin, the Shimao-related populations had the closest maternal affinity with the contemporaneous Taosi populations from the Longshan period. The Shimao-related populations also shared more affinity with present-day northern Han populations than with the minorities and southern Han in China. Our study provides a new perspective on the genetic origins and structure of the Shimao people and the population dynamics in the Middle Yellow River basin during the Neolithic period.

Keywords: Ancient DNA; Neolithic; Shimao; Yellow River; mitochondrial genome.