Mitochondrial DNA diversity of the Roma from northeastern Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This study is the first report on the mtDNA diversity in the Roma population from Bosnia. The main aim of this study was to analyse the mtDNA diversity in the studied population, evaluate the genetic relations with other European Roma populations, and analyse the influences of the Roma gene flow on the mitochondrial profile of the Roma from northeastern Bosnia. MtDNA variability in the analysed population has been studied by means of hypervariable segment I and II (HVSI/II) of the control region sequencing and analysis of restriction fragment-length polymorphisms of the coding region. Our results show that genetic structure of the Roma from northeastern Bosnia has a combination of lineages of three main layers: specific founder of Indian origin (M5a1 and M35b) and founder non-M lineages of Indian/European origin (H7a, X2b and X2d) and lineages of European/Middle East origin (H, H1, H11a, V, T2b, K1b and W). The distribution of the haplogroups in the gene pool of the comparative European Roma populations indicates the separate origin of the Bosnian Roma and the Bulgarian Vlax and Croatian Vlax Roma. The data suggest that mitochondrial gene pool of the Roma population from northeastern Bosnia might be a consequence of early parting and the later different migration routes that are part of their demographic history. Our data confirm the high genetic heterogeneity of the Roma populations that can be shaped by effects of genetic drift, isolation and low effective population size, and this correlates with the migratory history of the Roma.