128 Section PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Section PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY OXYTOCIN RECEPTOR GENETIC VARIATION, FERTILITY AND DESIRE FOR PARENTING IN RURAL KHANTY AND MANSI OF WESTERN SIBERIA Butovskaya Polina1 Ryskov Alexey3 1 , Butovskaya Marina2 , Fedenok Julia2 , Postnikova Ekaterina2 Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia 2Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia 3Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia There is a growing evidence of the role of oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism in attachment, pair-bonding and cooperation (Bakermans-Kranenberg, van Ijzendoorn, 2008; Feldman et al., 2010; Gordon et al., 2010). <...> The goal of this study was to test how a SNP polymorphism (rs53576) of the oxytocin receptor gene relates to fertility and parental efforts in rural sample of Khanty and Mansi from Khanty-Mansijsky Autonomous District, Berezovsky and Belojarsky regions. <...> Demography, anthropometry, psychological data and buccal smears for DNA extraction were collected among a traditional fi shermen population of Khanty and Mansi. <...> The sample size consists of 182 adult individuals (95 men and 87 women) with the age range from 17 to 70 years (median 38 years). <...> The SNP polymorphism for rs53576 was genotyped, using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays. <...> At fi rst, we tested the association of these genotypes with the number of children born in both sexes, but found no signifi cant result. <...> Next, we examined a female sample exclusively and conducted linear regression analyses with the number of pregnancies and abortions as dependent variables, and age and genotype as independent variables. <...> Signifi cant effects were revealed for both predictors. <...> These fi ndings are discussed in line with the data on the role of oxytocin in empathy and stress reactivity. <...> Key words: oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism, parenting, Khanty–Mansi, reproduction Contact information: Butovskaya Marina, e-mail: marina.butovskaya@gmail.com. , Vasiliev Vasily3 , Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. <...>