Identification of Haplogroups and Molecular Markers in Skeletal Samples Excavated from the Ancient City of Resuloglu (Ugurludag, Çorum)

Abstract

Mitochondrial DNA analyses were carried out in order to determine the haplogroups of 6 individuals obtained from the cemetery of Resuloglu and dated to the Early Bronze Age (EBA III). The individuals to be included in the bioinformatics analysis were evaluated according to their sequence quality and it was decided that 3 individuals could be used in further analysis. Using bioinformatics tools, it was determined that three individuals belonged to the T2e + 152, H2a2a2 and JT haplogroups. These results support a link between the origins of the present-day European population and the farmers of the Anatolian Neolithic period. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms revealed T16189C and C150T mutations in the two of three individuals, which are associated with the risk of melanoma and cervical cancer - HPV infection. These molecular findings are consistent with the health profiles of the excavated skeletons, which indicate that the community struggled with infectious and metabolic diseases. The entire study was carried out in the Ancient DNA and Metagenomics Research Laboratory of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul University.