Section MOLECULAR ANTHROPOLOGY – NEW ADVANCES GENE POOL OF TURKIC SPEAKERS OF THE CAUCASUS IN THE EURASIAN CONTEXT (Y-CHROMOSOMAL PERSPECTIVE) Skhalyakho Roza1,2 Kuznetsova Marina1,2 , Dibirova Khadizhat1,2 , Tagirly S.G.1,2 , Chukhryaeva Marina1,2 , Pocheshkhova Elvira3 , Agdzhoyan Anastasiya2 , Balanovsky Oleg2,1 1Research Centre for Medical Genetics of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia 2Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia 3Kuban State Medical University, Federal Agency of Public Health and Social Development, Krasnodar, Russia The complex ethnogenesis of the Turkic populations of the Caucasus included both the pronounced autochthonous component and infl uence of the incoming Turkic speakers. <...> This pattern was refl ected not only in the high anthropological differentiation of the Turkic populations from the Caucasus but also in their gene pool. <...> We studied Y-chromosomal polymorphism in all Turkic ethnic groups of the Caucasus (N=870): Azerbaijanians, Balkars, Karanogais, Karachays, Kuban Nogais, and Kumyks. <...> The phylogenetic analysis of rapidly mutating STRs markers showed high heterogeneity of the gene pool of Turkic peoples of the Caucasus. <...> A number of phylogenetic networks including STR haplotypes not only from Turkic groups of the Caucasus, but also from multiple Turkic peoples of Eurasia were constructed for the fi rst time. <...> The phylogenetic network of haplogroup R1a1a-M198 showed an ancient genetic links between Turkic speakers of the Caucasus and Altai regions, thus indicating the ‘steppe’ component. <...> The phylogenetic network of haplogroup N1-LLY22 revealed the proximity of gene pools of Kazakhs and Karanogais, and also the expressed genetic connection between Balkars and Bashkirs. <...> This connection might indicate the Bashkiro-Nogai migration to the North Caucasus. <...> The map of genetic distances from averaged gene pool of Turkic-speaking groups from the Caucasus to multiple Eurasian populations revealed the greatest genetic similarity in steppes near Black and Caspian seas. <...> Some similarities could be also seen Southwest Asia particularly in North Anatolia and Iran. <...> The Eastern European populations, Turkic peoples from Altai-Sayan and Volga-Uralic region are more genetically distant from Turkic populations from the Caucasus. <...> Note, that indigenous populations of East Caucasus are genetically different from Turkic speakers of the region, despite Kumyks and Azerbaijans dwell the East Caucasus. <...> Key words: Y-chromosome <...>