This suggests that the island's population shares more genetic similarities with mixed-origin populations that have been brought to Cyprus over the centuries.

According to history and archaeology, the first inhabitants of Cyprus came from neighboring countries up to 12,000 years ago, long before the Greeks or Turks appeared.

Researcher Constantinos Deltas, head of Biobank.cy at the University of Cyprus, said this is the first time a DNA reference of Cypriots has been created, providing new information on genetic heritage and evaluating pathological genetic burden at the population level.

Deltas told the Cyprus News Agency that the study would reach useful conclusions, which would be announced soon. So far, the genomes of 1,400 Cypriots have been analyzed, with another 1,500 samples to follow; the next milestone is 5,000 samples.

The professor said it was difficult to say to what extent the Greek DNA imprint was present in the Cypriot population.

Recent studies, he said, confirm the historical and archaeological evidence regarding the origins of the first Cypriots. However, "the study among Cypriot men—which analyzed the Y chromosome—showed that the indices pointing to Greek ancestry were, at best, between 10 and 30 percent."

The most significant success to date has been the archiving of comprehensive information on personal, demographic and clinical data of nearly 11,000 Cypriot volunteers, Deltas said.

"This is data, accompanied by biological material and, of course, a signed consent document. Much of the data and material will be used and studied in research projects," he added.
The study aims to provide further insights into hereditary diseases such as kidney, heart and eye diseases.

Deltas said the analyses revealed variations in DNA "identical and occurring at similar frequencies to those of many other populations, indicating—if not proving—global migration and mixing of populations throughout the long history of humanity."

“At the same time, however, they note numerous differences that may be due to phenomena such as genetic variations and the presence of establishment phenomena, as well as the previous restriction of movement of the inhabitants of Cyprus,” he said.

Deltas explained: “All of this is stored in our DNA, and we hope that we will soon be able to link such genetic insights to specific phenotypes, namely diseases.”

In recent years, genetic heterogeneity has been identified in dozens of families with hereditary heart disease, and numerous variations have also been identified in predominantly European populations, Deltas said.

The researcher also spoke about Cyprome, the Center of Excellence project for the detailed genetic study of Cypriot DNA.

"We are referring to the sequencing, or reading, of the part of DNA that codes for all the proteins in the human body, which represents a relatively small part of the total DNA, but represents the very large percentage responsible for most hereditary diseases, as well as diseases that do not follow a clear inheritance pattern but have a large genetic component," he added.

This approach closes a major gap and is very useful in disease research, he said.

According to historical and archaeological evidence, the first inhabitants of Cyprus came from neighboring countries up to 12,000 years ago, long before the arrival of the Greeks and Turks, Deltas said.

The Cypriot population has been severely influenced by repeated waves of conquest and invasion. It is not impossible that at times it was almost wiped out, which favors the phenomenon of genetic aberrations that can lead to an artificial increase in some genetic indices, he said.

Environmental factors such as malaria have also contributed to the increase in mutations within the population that are responsible for hemoglobinopathies such as thalassemia and, to a lesser extent, sickle cell anemia, Deltas added.

“This genetic advantage that protects against malaria has specifically helped those Cypriots who carried the variations to survive,” he said.

Deltas said that the frequency of people carrying such variations or mutations in their DNA among Greek Cypriots remains at one in seven.

The Greek Mycenaeans and Achaeans came much later, in the 14th century BC, with peaceful intentions.

The superiority of Greek civilization was evident and persisted for the next 100 to 200 years. Since then, native Cypriots have adopted the Greek culture, language, and religion of the Dodecatheon—the pantheon of the twelve gods under Zeus, Deltas said.

Deltas added that it is difficult to say what percentage of Cypriots are Greek.

The Mycenaeans arrived in Cyprus 3,500 years ago and Cyprus was already inhabited 8,000 years earlier, he said.

Deltas said that in addition to their culture and walled cities, the conquerors also left behind their genes.

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Source: CyprusMail.com

Author: Rebekka Gregoriades