Genetic characterization of historical Albanian ethnic minority of Calabria (Southern Italy)

Three historical ethnic minorities are present in Calabria: Albanians,Greeks, and Occitans. The Albanian ethnic minority is the more populous,having settled in Calabria between the 15th and 17th centuries, andthese populations are now located in the provinces of Cosenza and Catanzaro.In the present study the Albanian population structure is analyzedbased on the allele frequencies of six classic genetic markers: ACP, GC,PGM1, AK, ADA, and 6PGD. The results show a significant heterogeneitybetween the Albanian population in Calabria and the population in Molise.Therefore the cultural and reproductive isolation of the Albanian ethnic minorityof Calabria is related to a great genetic peculiarity. Moreover, thefrequencies of some alleles, particularly those of the PGM*1W31 variant,and the analysis of the R matrix still show the actual peculiar genetic structureof the Albanians of Calabria, although the genetic flow is evident in thedecrease of endogamy and in the increase in the degree of mixing.