對北非猶太人——世界上以色列以外第二大的猶太人群體——的一項遺傳分析表明，這個人群形成了與眾不同的集群，這一集群在相互之間以及和歐洲,、中東的猶太人群體有親緣關(guān)系,，這為這個人群的有記錄的歷史提供了證據(jù)支持,。
C.L. Campbell及其同事確定了來自15個人群的509名猶太人的遺傳構(gòu)成,，把它與來自7個北非人群的114名非猶太人的信息進行了比較。北非猶太人表現(xiàn)出了高的同族結(jié)婚率,，即根據(jù)習(xí)俗與他們自己的宗教和文化群體通婚,。發(fā)現(xiàn)了兩個主要的亞群：摩洛哥/阿爾及利亞以及杰爾巴/利比亞。并且發(fā)現(xiàn)了他們的歐洲人混合程度各不相同,，前者傾向于與歐洲人相關(guān),。埃塞俄比亞和也門的猶太人群也形成了獨特的具有遺傳聯(lián)系的機群，而格魯吉亞的猶太人卻沒有,。根據(jù)有記錄的歷史,，北非猶太人是在非洲海岸殖民的首批商人。殖民之后的遺傳隔離恰逢基督教以及之后的伊斯蘭教的崛起,。在15世紀(jì)晚期基督教宗教裁判所把西班牙裔猶太人從西班牙和葡萄牙驅(qū)逐出去的遷移后,，一些與其他文化的通婚在之后的歷史中出現(xiàn)了。這組作者說，這些遺傳發(fā)現(xiàn)提供的信息,，其可能支持和補充北非猶太人的有記錄的歷史,。(生物谷Bioon.com)
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1204840109
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North African Jewish and non-Jewish populations form distinctive, orthogonal clusters
Christopher L. Campbella, Pier F. Palamarab,Maya Dubrovskyc,d,Laura R. Botiguée, Marc Fellousf, Gil Atzmong,h, Carole Oddouxa, Alexander Pearlmana, Li Haoi, Brenna M. Hennj, Edward Burnsg, Carlos D. Bustamantej, David Comase, Eitan Friedmanc,d, Itsik Pe'erb, and Harry Ostrera,h
North African Jews constitute the second largest Jewish Diaspora group. However, their relatedness to each other; to European, Middle Eastern, and other Jewish Diaspora groups; and to their former North African non-Jewish neighbors has not been well defined. Here, genome-wide analysis of five North African Jewish groups (Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, Djerban, and Libyan) and comparison with other Jewish and non-Jewish groups demonstrated distinctive North African Jewish population clusters with proximity to other Jewish populations and variable degrees of Middle Eastern, European, and North African admixture. Two major subgroups were identified by principal component, neighbor joining tree, and identity-by-descent analysis—Moroccan/Algerian and Djerban/Libyan—that varied in their degree of European admixture. These populations showed a high degree of endogamy and were part of a larger Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish group. By principal component analysis, these North African groups were orthogonal to contemporary populations from North and South Morocco, Western Sahara, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Thus, this study is compatible with the history of North African Jews—founding during Classical Antiquity with proselytism of local populations, followed by genetic isolation with the rise of Christianity and then Islam, and admixture following the emigration of Sephardic Jews during the Inquisition.
