Geneticists from the USA and Russia have elucidated the fate of a gene ‘encoded’ in the history of Kazakhstan.

The Gene of Mongolian Expansion

C3 (C3C1, C3C1-M86) is a genetic haplogroup which, according to Shejire, most modern men of the tribal union Bayuly of the Junior Juz belong to. This is one of the local mutations of the C3 gene, which in contemporary genetics is associated with Genghis Khan, his uncles, brothers, sons, and grandsons. Nonetheless, bearers of this gene should not flatter their self-esteem by considering themselves direct descendants of the Shaker of the Universe. The name of the gene rather reflects the might of the Mongolian expansion, led by Genghis Khan. It is simply a distinctively Mongolian gene, whose carriers traversed the territory of Kazakhstan, engaging in active contacts with the local female population or remaining there permanently. The leader of this wave was unlikely to differ genetically from his warriors – he was a Mongol among Mongols, who, it turns out, generously shared their combative and indomitable ‘C3 vitamin’ with the warlike Kazakhs, bestowing upon them greater immunity from external influences.

Do All Genes Lead to Altai?

Professor Theodore Schurr and doctoral student Matthew Dulik from the Penn Center for Anthropology in the USA, along with Lyudmila Osipova from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk), studied the genetics of the populations of Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The research of this group continues the modern investigation into the genetic kinship of the peoples of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, and North America. The Altai region is considered the ancestral homeland of all these peoples, serving as a crossroads of thousands of roads by which the ancient peoples of Central Eurasia traveled in different directions. Professor Schurr writes that from Altai, «peoples not only emerged to settle across Siberia, but most likely did so more than once. Meanwhile, the indigenous inhabitants of North America possibly originated from Altai.» Based on the material available to the Western scientific world, Schurr hopes to trace the movement of genealogy, or speaking in genetic terms, the cellular lineage, and in literary terms, the pedigree in a dynamic spread from Altai to Siberia, and further to the area of today’s Bering Strait and both Americas.

Professor Schurr reported on the results of two studies — the study of the Y-chromosome along the paternal line based on material collected from people identifying themselves as Kazakhs in Altai, as well as the results of studies of mitochondrial DNA, which is transmitted along the maternal line. The study of the male lineage of Altai Kazakhs was very important in view of the Mongolian expansion of the 13th century. Schurr writes, «The wave of migration from Mongolia was predominantly male. Mongols left their mark across Central Asia, especially among the peoples who later became Kazakhs, and this is particularly evident through the paternal rather than maternal line.»

Mutations of the C3 Gene

Since women do not have the Y-chromosome, sons receive all genetic information from their fathers. The male pedigree can be used as a basis to extrapolate connections through a large number of generations of fathers and sons. Studying the genetic material of modern humans for specific Y-chromosome markers can determine the male pedigree to which a contemporary man belongs. Comparing genetics with archaeology, linguistics, and climatology, Schurr’s group had grounds to create a map of the spread of Kazakh populations over time and space. According to the map, the Mongolian male gene has had a strong influence on the populations of Kazakhs in Altai and their brethren living west of Altai over the last 800 years. Schurr writes, «Two lineages are clearly traced, including the famous ‘Genghis Gene’ — C3, associated with the figure of Temujin-Genghis and his direct male relatives. Where we see this gene, we see the influence of the Mongolian expansion westward. Its latest mutations are traced in regions farthest from contemporary Mongolia, while the oldest are in Mongolia itself.»

Archaeogenetic analysis also allowed Schurr’s group to study the impact of Altai’s indigenous population on other peoples, including the spread of the nomadic lifestyle. Altai extends where ancient nomadic and trade routes and paths lay, along which not only goods but also carriers of genetic information, including the ancestors of the Kazakhs living in Altai, moved. Preliminary research results indicate a widespread presence of genes typical for the peoples of Altai across Siberia, up to the Bering Strait and further into the Americas. However, detailed material is not yet available. There are facts that indicate «a significant and substantial part of modern Kazakhs are descendants of the Mongols — the ethnic group of nomads that united the entire nomadic world into a single passionate surge westward, forever changing the picture of the then-world and its future development.