Data from: Eurasian house mouse (Mus musculus L.) differentiation at microsatellite loci identifies the Iranian plateau as a phylogeographic hotspot

Background The phylogeography of the house mouse (Mus musculus L.), an
emblematic species for genetic and biomedical studies, is only partly
understood, essentially because of a sampling bias towards its most
peripheral populations in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Moreover, the
present-day phylogeographic hypotheses stem mostly from the study of
mitochondrial lineages. In this article, we complement the mtDNA studies
with a comprehensive survey of nuclear markers (19 microsatellite loci)
typed in 963 individuals from 47 population samples, with an emphasis on
the putative Middle-Eastern centre of dispersal of the species. Results
Based on correspondence analysis, distance and allele-sharing trees, we
find a good coherence between geographical origin and genetic make-up of
the populations. We thus confirm the clear distinction of the three best
described peripheral subspecies, M. m. musculus, M. m. domesticus and M.
m. castaneus. A large diversity was found in the Iranian populations,
which have had an unclear taxonomic status to date. In addition to samples
with clear affiliation to M. m. musculus and M. m. domesticus, we find two
genetic groups in Central and South East Iran, which are as distinct from
each other as they are from the south-east Asian M. m. castaneus. These
groups were previously also found to harbor distinct mitochondrial
haplotypes. Conclusion We propose that the Iranian plateau is home to two
more taxonomic units displaying complex primary and secondary
relationships with their long recognized neighbours. This central region
emerges as the area with the highest known diversity of mouse lineages
within a restricted geographical area, designating it as the focal place
to study the mechanisms of speciation and diversification of this species.