A view of the neolithic demic diffusion in Europe through two Y chromosome-specific markers.

This study has revealed two distinct Y-chromosome markers, the pl2f2-8-kb allele, specific to Caucasoids and the 49af-Ht 15, specific to Europeans, which are valuable to detect genetic admixtures. They show an opposite gradient of frequencies from the Near East to western Europe, illustrating well the "wave of advance" of the neolithic demic expansion in Europe. Moreover, the haploid condition of the Y chromosome, and therefore the absence of recombination, makes the proto-European Ht 15 an important tool in evaluating the contribution of European paleolithic males in the present day populations of Europe.