The Genetic Study on the Patrilineal and Matrilineal Origin of the Bo People in Yunnan

The Y chromosome and mtDNA from 32 male samples of Bo people were typed. The results showed that the Bo people originated from the south of China possessing the dominant patrilineal and matrilineal haplotypes that are prevalent in the southern East Asian populations. The multidimensional scaling analysis on the Bo people's hapoltypes, combined with published Y chromosome and mtDNA data from East Asian populations, demonstrated that the Bo people are genetically closer to the southern populations than to the northern. This indicates that the Bo people are descendants of a southern China origin population, which is consistent with archeological evidence. The genetic dissection of the Bo people sheds new light on the origin and dispersion of the prehistoric "cliff coffin" culture.