Ancient genomes in Southwest China revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical period

Abstract Background Southwest China has been pivotal for agricultural spread, ethnic formation, and cultural diffusion. However, the genetic diversity and population structure of this area remain insufficiently explored, especially during the historical period. Results Here, we report genome-wide da...

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Main Authors: Wen Wan, Huangzhen Huang, Changguo Hu, Xinglong Zhang, Qingting Zhou, Meiqing Yang, Jianxin Guo, Mingxia Xie, Kongyang Zhu, Xiaomin Yang, Hao Ma, Rui Wang, Jing Zhao, Le Tao, Haifeng He, Qun Zhang, Li Jin, Bisu Zhou, Jiang Huang, Chuan-Chao Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:BMC Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02299-4
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author Wen Wan
Huangzhen Huang
Changguo Hu
Xinglong Zhang
Qingting Zhou
Meiqing Yang
Jianxin Guo
Mingxia Xie
Kongyang Zhu
Xiaomin Yang
Hao Ma
Rui Wang
Jing Zhao
Le Tao
Haifeng He
Qun Zhang
Li Jin
Bisu Zhou
Jiang Huang
Chuan-Chao Wang
author_facet Wen Wan
Huangzhen Huang
Changguo Hu
Xinglong Zhang
Qingting Zhou
Meiqing Yang
Jianxin Guo
Mingxia Xie
Kongyang Zhu
Xiaomin Yang
Hao Ma
Rui Wang
Jing Zhao
Le Tao
Haifeng He
Qun Zhang
Li Jin
Bisu Zhou
Jiang Huang
Chuan-Chao Wang
author_sort Wen Wan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Southwest China has been pivotal for agricultural spread, ethnic formation, and cultural diffusion. However, the genetic diversity and population structure of this area remain insufficiently explored, especially during the historical period. Results Here, we report genome-wide data of eight ancient individuals from the Songshan site in Guizhou dating back to the Song and Ming Dynasty. Our results reveal that most Songshan individuals are closely related to the Yellow River Basin farmers, while also showing significant genetic influences from southern East Asia, including affinities with ancients in Guangxi, coastal Fujian, and Southeast Asia. Additionally, some Songshan individuals displayed a high genetic affinity with local Hmong-Mien populations. Conclusions These findings underscore the complexity of genetic interactions and population movements during the historical period, providing new insights into the genetic landscape and ethnic formation processes in Southwest China.
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issn 1741-7007
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publisher BMC
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series BMC Biology
spelling doaj-art-7a1ae8fd09f540aa85cf27d3cf9f09642025-08-20T03:42:00ZengBMCBMC Biology1741-70072025-07-0123111210.1186/s12915-025-02299-4Ancient genomes in Southwest China revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical periodWen Wan0Huangzhen Huang1Changguo Hu2Xinglong Zhang3Qingting Zhou4Meiqing Yang5Jianxin Guo6Mingxia Xie7Kongyang Zhu8Xiaomin Yang9Hao Ma10Rui Wang11Jing Zhao12Le Tao13Haifeng He14Qun Zhang15Li Jin16Bisu Zhou17Jiang Huang18Chuan-Chao Wang19Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Department of Forensic Medicine, Guizhou Medical UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityGuizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and ArchaeologyGuizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and ArchaeologyKey Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Department of Forensic Medicine, Guizhou Medical UniversityKey Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Department of Forensic Medicine, Guizhou Medical UniversityFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Bioanthropology, Institute of Anthropology, Xiamen UniversityKey Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Department of Forensic Medicine, Guizhou Medical UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Bioanthropology, Institute of Anthropology, Xiamen UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Bioanthropology, Institute of Anthropology, Xiamen UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityDepartment of Archaeology, School of History, Wuhan UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityGuizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and ArchaeologyKey Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Department of Forensic Medicine, Guizhou Medical UniversityMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityAbstract Background Southwest China has been pivotal for agricultural spread, ethnic formation, and cultural diffusion. However, the genetic diversity and population structure of this area remain insufficiently explored, especially during the historical period. Results Here, we report genome-wide data of eight ancient individuals from the Songshan site in Guizhou dating back to the Song and Ming Dynasty. Our results reveal that most Songshan individuals are closely related to the Yellow River Basin farmers, while also showing significant genetic influences from southern East Asia, including affinities with ancients in Guangxi, coastal Fujian, and Southeast Asia. Additionally, some Songshan individuals displayed a high genetic affinity with local Hmong-Mien populations. Conclusions These findings underscore the complexity of genetic interactions and population movements during the historical period, providing new insights into the genetic landscape and ethnic formation processes in Southwest China.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02299-4Ancient Southwest ChinaSongshan populationYellow RiverSouthern influenceGenetic landscapeHistorical period
spellingShingle Wen Wan
Huangzhen Huang
Changguo Hu
Xinglong Zhang
Qingting Zhou
Meiqing Yang
Jianxin Guo
Mingxia Xie
Kongyang Zhu
Xiaomin Yang
Hao Ma
Rui Wang
Jing Zhao
Le Tao
Haifeng He
Qun Zhang
Li Jin
Bisu Zhou
Jiang Huang
Chuan-Chao Wang
Ancient genomes in Southwest China revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical period
BMC Biology
Ancient Southwest China
Songshan population
Yellow River
Southern influence
Genetic landscape
Historical period
title Ancient genomes in Southwest China revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical period
title_full Ancient genomes in Southwest China revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical period
title_fullStr Ancient genomes in Southwest China revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical period
title_full_unstemmed Ancient genomes in Southwest China revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical period
title_short Ancient genomes in Southwest China revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical period
title_sort ancient genomes in southwest china revealed genetic interactions among diverse populations in the historical period
topic Ancient Southwest China
Songshan population
Yellow River
Southern influence
Genetic landscape
Historical period
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02299-4
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