Mitochondrial DNA analysis of the human skeletons excavated from the Shomyoji shell midden site, Kanagawa, Japan

  • TAKAHASHI RYOHEI
    Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo
  • SAEKI FUMIKO
    Department of Rehabilitation, Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata
  • KOIBUCHI RYOKO
    Department of Rehabilitation, Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata
  • YONEDA MINORU
    The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
  • HAGIHARA YASUO
    Department of Rehabilitation, Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata
  • ADACHI NOBORU
    Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo
  • NARA TAKASHI
    Department of Rehabilitation, Department of Medical Technology, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata

Bibliographic Information

Published
2019
Resource Type
journal article
DOI
  • 10.1537/ase.190307
Publisher
The Anthropological Society of Nippon

Search this article

Description

<p>Recent studies have revealed that the Jomon people are considerably genetically different from any other population, including modern-day Japanese. This gives rise to an intriguing question: when after the Jomon era did this drastic change of genetic features occur? The Shomyoji shell midden site in Kanagawa, Japan can provide some clues to address this question. The skeletons buried at this site include some that are more recent than the Jomon-era skeletons with whom they are almost contiguously buried. We tested the genetic continuity of the Shomyoji shell midden people by analyzing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Our results show that the mtDNA haplogroups of the Kofun and Heian skeletons vastly differ from those of the Jomon skeletons. This finding implies that the genetic conversion of the Japanese people may have occurred during or before the Kofun era, at least at the Shomyoji site. To confirm this hypothesis, nuclear genome analysis of the Shomyoji people is considered promising.</p>

Journal

Citations (5)*help

See more

References(26)*help

See more

Related Projects

See more

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top