# Deciphering the maternal ancestral lineage of Greek Cypriots, Armenian Cypriots and Maronite Cypriots

## TL;DR

This study compares the maternal ancestry of Greek, Armenian, and Maronite Cypriots using mitochondrial DNA to understand their genetic relationships and origins.

## Contribution

This is the first study comparing the mitochondrial DNA of Greek, Armenian, and Maronite Cypriots to characterize their maternal ancestry.

## Key findings

- Greek Cypriots are genetically closer to Armenian Cypriots than to Maronite Cypriots.
- Haplogroups H and U are the most prevalent among Cypriots, with R0 showing varying frequencies.
- The maternal ancestry likely originated during the Neolithic period or Bronze Age.

## Abstract

Cyprus was conquered from several populations because of its special geographical location. In this study, 406 unrelated Cypriot samples were tested based on their mitochondrial DNA. In more detail, 185 were Greek Cypriots, 114 Armenian Cypriots and 107 Maronite Cypriots. This is the first time where the mitochondrial DNA of Greek Cypriots, Armenian Cypriots and Maronite Cypriots is compared with the aim of characterizing the maternal ancestry of Cypriots. The control region of the mtDNA is the most informative in terms of studying maternal ancestry and consists of three hypervariable regions (HVS-I, HVS-II, HVS-III). The hypervariable regions can provide important information regarding the maternal ancestor of the tested samples. The entire control region of the mtDNA was used to determine the mitotypes and subsequently the haplogroups of all the Cypriot DNA samples. Based on the aforementioned analyses, Greek Cypriots were found to be genetically closer to Armenian Cypriots, while Greek Cypriots and Armenian Cypriots showed moderate genetic differentiation with Maronite Cypriots. The most prevalent haplogroups among Cypriots were haplogroups H and U, while R0 is common but in different frequencies for Greek Cypriots, Armenian Cypriots and Maronite Cypriots. It is proposed that the maternal ancestor may have originated during the Neolithic period and/or the Bronze age.