Genetic distances among the five tribal populations of Andhra, Pradesh, South India.

In this paper, data on genetic distances among five tribal populations ae given. Among the five tribes, Koya Dora, Raj Gond and Naikpod are autochthonous populations of the Deccan plateau whereas the other two groups, Pardhan and Lambadi are migrants. Kova Doras were sampled from five distant localities. Genetic markers typed are: A1A2B0, Rho(D) blood group systems glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, transferrin, haptoglobin, groupspecific component, haemoglobin, colour-vision deficiency and tastability to P. T. C. Using frequency data for the above nine genetic loci, genetic distances between the five endogamous tribes, and between the five groups of Koya Dora are calculated by adopting the statistical method of Edwards (1971). While genetic distances between Koya Dora, Raj Gond and Lambadi are minimal, the genetic distance between Pardhans and other tribal groups is maximum. Naikpods occupy an intermediate position. The closeness of Lambadi with Koya Dora and RAJ Gond can be regarded as coincidental. Interestingly, the differences in the genetic distance values between five Koya Dora groups are as great as the differences between the five endogamous tribal populations tested for the same loci. Genetic affinities of these tribal populations are discussed in relation to their ethnic origin migration and geographical isolation.     

Blood groups and ABH saliva secretion in Koya Dora and Konda Kammara tribes of Andhra Pradesh

The present paper reports the distribution of blood groups and ABH saliva secretion in two Andhra tribal populations: the Koya Dora and the Konda Kammara. 100 Koya Dora and nearly 110 Konda Kammara adults of both sexes were tested for A1A2BO, MN, Rh (CcDEe) blood groups and ABH saliva secretion. The gene frequencies for A1A2BO, MN and ABH and the gene as well as chromosome frequencies for Rh (CcDEe) systems were calculated. Koya Doras show a higher incidence of A gene than B gene, while the reverse trend is seen in Konda Kammaras. Both the tribes show a high M gene frequency. No Rh(D) negative individual was found in Koya Doras, while 4.59% of Konda Kammaras are Rh(D) negative. The chromosomes CDE, CdE, cDe, cdE, Cde and cde are absent in Koya Doras, while only the four chromosomes CDE, CdE, cDe and cdE are absent in Konda Kammaras. The chromosome CDe shows the highest frequency in both the tribes. The frequency of secretors is, as usual, higher than that of nonsecretors in both the tribes. The intergroup variation between the two tribes is not statistically significant for MN, Rh (CcDEe) and ABH systems, while the difference is significant for the A1A2BO blood groups. Suitable comparisons have also been made with all the other available data from Andhra Pradesh tribal populations with respect to different systems studied. Finally Fi estimates have been calculated after Harpending et al. (1973) and Workman et al. (1974) for Koya Doras and Konda Kammaras to assess their degree of endogamy, considering the codominant systems studied, which suggest that Koya Doras are relatively more isolated than Konda Kammaras.     

Genetic studies on the Koya Dora and Konda Kammara tribes of Andhra Pradesh, India

A total of 209 persons belonging to the Koya Dora and Konda Kammara tribes in the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, have been tested for electrophoretic variation in 9 red cell enzyme systems. The gene frequencies for the systems showing variation are, in general, within the range for other Andhra Pradesh tribal populations. There is 1 example of PHI 2-1 in the Konda Kammara, while 1 case each of PHI 3-1 and 2-1 are reported in the Koya Dora. In PGM1, there is one example of the 6-2 phenotype and one of 4-1 in the Koya Dora. The Koya Dora show a relatively lower frequency of the EsD2 allele compared to the Konda Kammara. The gene frequencies for the GLO system are reported here for the first time among Indian tribals and these are within the Indian range. LDH Calcutta 1 was not detected in either population.     

Gc subtyping in south Indian tribal and caste populations

Seven tribal (Konda Kammara - 2 samples; Koya Dora - 3 samples; Lambadi) and caste (Madiga) populations from Andhra Pradesh (South India) have been analyzed for the distribution of Gc subtypes. The observed heterogeneity in the distribution of Gc1F, Gc1S and Gc2 alleles was found to be statistically significant. Comparisons are made with North Indian populations as well as with those of other racial affiliation. The anthropological impact of the Gc subtype polymorphism is discussed.     

Individual fertility rate among minor tribal populations from Andhra Pradesh,India

Abstract

The Individual Fertility Rate (IFR), a measure of current fertility status in small and illiterate preindustrial societies, is estimated for five tribal populations from Andhra Pradesh, India. The Andhra tribes exhibit high individual fertility rates ranging between 49.62 ± 1.76 (Konda Dora) and 66.63 ± 3.16 (Manzai Mali) and fall in the high‐fertility category. The differences in IFR values between affinal and consanguineous couples are not significant. A direct positive relation between IFR and tribal hierarchy is observed with relatively higher IFR values recorded for socially higher‐ranked tribes in an ascending order from lower‐ to higher‐ranked groups.     

Serum albumin variants from populations of Andhra Pradesh,S. India

Summary 1108 tribal and 1062 non-tribal individuals from three districts of Andhra Pradesh were examined, for serum albumin variants. A slow-moving variant, identical to Albumin Kashmir was found in a single Muslim individual. Another new slow-moving variant, faster than Albumin Kashmir found in a single individual of a Koya Dora tribe is designated as Albumin Koya Dora.     

Finger ridge count correlations among four tribes of Andhra Pradesh,India

The present paper reports the distribution of finger ridge count correlations among four tribal populations from Andhra Pradesh, India viz., Dulia, Kotia, Manne Dora and Manzai Mali, and examines the intra and inter population variation. Higher correlations are recorded in left hands compared to right hands, but they are not significant. The homologous fingers exhibit a stronger correlation. In all the tribes, the correlations between right hand fingers are relatively higher among women when compared to men. Regarding inter population variation Dulia men differ significantly from the men of Manne Dora and the Manzai Mali tribes, and Kotia women also differ from the women of the Manne Dora significantly. The average correlation coefficient of the present populations is similar to other Indian populations reported earlier but lower than African and European populations.     

HLA antigen frequency in the Koya tribe of Andhra Pradesh, India

The frequencies of HLA-A, -B, and -C antigens were studied in a tribal population of Koya from Andhra Pradesh in southern India. No other well-defined tribal population has been studied with which the present results may be compared. However, the HLA profile of Koya showed distinct differences from the general HLA distribution in India in the frequency of a large number of antigens both at the A and B loci. This study indicates the distinctiveness of this tribal population and suggests the potential importance of the study of HLA frequencies in tribal groups of India.     

Anthropometric and genetic distance between Gonds of Central India

A morphological and genetic study was undertaken on five Gondi-speaking populations of Central India (Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra States). There has been no systematic biological study on this large Dravidian-speaking tribal group, 4 million in number, amounting to 13% of the total tribal population of India. Data was collected on 16 anthropometric measurements and seven genetic markers (blood groups, hemoglobin, G6PD and plasma protein polymorphisms) on the Raj Gonds, Kolams, Manne, Koyas and Plains Maria Gonds. Various genetic distance measures such as Mahalanobis's D2 and Nei's and Sanghvi's measures and cluster analysis techniques were used to determine the relationship between these groups based on anthropometrics and genetic variables. The statistical analysis revealed the Gonds to be a heterogenous group in both morphology and genetic characteristics. The morphological and genetic distances between these five groups when projected graphically revealed that the spatial distribution of these Gonds generally corresponds to their present geographical distribution. However, the actual relationships among each of the Gond populations show differences when based on these two biological variables, the possible reasons for this being discussed in the paper. The emphasis of this study is on the importance of geographical proximity in producing morphological and genetic similarity between populations, brought about by a short distance as well as similar geographical factors (such as soil, terrain, flora, etc.) drawing these populations together under a common ecocultural umbrella.     

Finger dermatoglyphics of the Bagathas of Araku Valley (A.P.), India

Finger prints of the Bagathas, a dominant endogamous tribal population of Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh (India) were analysed. They are distributed in Araku, Paderu and Chintapalli agency areas of Visakhapatnam district of A.P. Investigations on finger prints of 235 males and 235 females reveal that loops are higher in females (57.58%) than in males (49.19%). Sex differences in the distribution of the patterns are statistically significant (X² = 27.8277; d.f. = 2; 0.001 > P). The index of pattern intensity shows a higher value in males (14.17) than the females (12.84). It is evident from the mean ridge counts that there is a clear sexual dimorphism, males showing higher mean ridge counts than females. Bagathas show greater affinity with the Valmikis in the frequency distribution of pattern types and in the pattern intensity index. However, a more detailed dermatoglyphic study of all the tribes of Andhra Pradesh yields information of great value in disclosing the pattern distributions among these Dravidian or proto-Australoid tribal populations.     

Genetic Affinity of the Bhil,Kol and Gond Mentioned in Epic Ramayana

Kol, Bhil and Gond are some of the ancient tribal populations known from the Ramayana, one of the Great epics of India. Though there have been studies about their affinity based on classical and haploid genetic markers, the molecular insights of their relationship with other tribal and caste populations of extant India is expected to give more clarity about the the question of continuity vs. discontinuity. In this study, we scanned >97,000 of single nucleotide polymorphisms among three major ancient tribes mentioned in Ramayana, namely Bhil, Kol and Gond. The results obtained were then compared at inter and intra population levels with neighboring and other world populations. Using various statistical methods, our analysis suggested that the genetic architecture of these tribes (Kol and Gond) was largely similar to their surrounding tribal and caste populations, while Bhil showed closer affinity with Dravidian and Austroasiatic (Munda) speaking tribes. The haplotype based analysis revealed a massive amount of genome sharing among Bhil, Kol, Gond and with other ethnic groups of South Asian descent. On the basis of genetic component sharing among different populations, we anticipate their primary founding over the indigenous Ancestral South Indian (ASI) component has prevailed in the genepool over the last several thousand years.     

Hemoglobin Koya Dora: high frequency of a chain termination mutant.

Approximately 10% of the members of the Koya Dora tribe from Andhra Pradesh (India) carry an alpha chain hemoglobin variant, Hb Koya Dora (Hb KD), usually in amounts of 0.5%-2% of total hemoglobin. In four presumed homozygotes for Hb KD, up to 10% of the abnormal hemoglobin was present. The alpha chain of Hb KD was found to be elongated by at least 16 residues, possibly as a result of a mutation of the normal alpha chain termination codon UAA TO UCA, coding for serine. A pedigree in which two individuals possess Hb KD as well as the alpha chain variant Hb Rampa and normal Hb A proves the existence of two alpha chain loci in this population. Hb DK resembles the previously described Hb Constant Spring [6, 7] in many aspects, probably also in its alpha thalassemia-like expression.     

Behavior measurement and population change

Abstract

Selection intensity, as indicated by total pre‐reproductive mortality and fertility (Crow, 1958), was computed among three Indian tribal populations living in similar geographical environments—the Kolams, Raj Gonds, and Pardhans of Adilabad District, Andhra Pradesh. The Pardhans showed the greatest selection intensity, (1.1811) followed by the Kolams (0.8564) and Raj Gonds (0.7240). Pre‐reproductive mortality and infertility contributed equally to selection intensity in these tribal groups.     

Haplotypes in tribal Indians bearing the sickle gene: evidence for the unicentric origin of the beta S mutation and the unicentric origin of the tribal populations of India

To determine the origin of sickle cell anemia (SS) in India, we analyzed haplotypes of the beta gene cluster in beta S-carrying individuals belonging to tribal populations living in the Nilgiris region of southern India and complemented the available data on tribes of east-central India. We found that in the Nilgiris tribes chromosomes bearing the beta S gene are linked in 91% of the cases to the "Asian" (Arab-Indian) haplotype (although 25% of the haplotypes had the epsilon polymorphic site negative, making the 5' portion of the haplotype identical with the African Senegal haplotype). These XmnI (+) chromosomes were associated with high G gamma expression (67.2 +/- 5.9%) and a high percentage of Hb F (15.5 +/- 7.9%; range, 6-25.3%). We have similar findings for tribal groups from west-central India (Gujarat). In east-central India we have confirmed the data of others, finding the same haplotype linked to beta S in tribes living in the east (Orissa, Andhra Pradesh). We conclude that the beta S gene in presently isolated and disperse tribal populations in India is associated with one predominant typical haplotype, suggesting a unicentric origin of the mutation in India. In addition, this finding implies a unicentric origin of the tribal populations themselves: The gene must have arisen and spread before tribal dispersion. Furthermore, we find extremely high frequencies of the (-alpha) haplotype in the Nilgiris (0.89) and in Gujarat (0.95). The beta S gene linkage to a high Hb F-expressing haplotype and the high incidence of alpha-thalassemia predict a mild phenotypical expression of sickle cell anemia in India.     

Sickle cell disease among tribes of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa,India

Sickle cell disease is observed to occur in significantly high frequencies amongst the tribes of India. It has surged to the fore as an important public health problem among tribal groups, which needs serious attention. This paper presents the distribution of this abnormal genetic problem among scheduled tribes of India, in general and among those of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa states, in detail. Though the prevalence of sickle cell trait is high, the sickle cell disease cases are found to be very low, since all these surveys are made among adults. Most of the sickle cell disease cases might have expired during their early states. Hence, it is attempted to estimate the expected frequencies of disease cases from HbS gene frequencies. Estimations were also made by considering higher levels of inbreeding among these populations.     

Multiple origins of the mtDNA 9-bp deletion in populations of South India

The origins and genetic affinities of the more than 500 tribal populations living in South Asia are widely disputed. This may reflect differential contributions that continental populations have made to tribal groups in South Asia. We assayed for the presence of the intergenic COII/tRNALys 9-bp deletion in human mtDNA in 646 individuals from 12 caste and 14 tribal populations of South India and compared them to individuals from Africa, Europe, and Asia. The 9-bp deletion is observed in four South Indian tribal populations, the Irula, Yanadi, Siddi, and Maria Gond, and in the Nicobarese. Length polymorphisms of the 9-bp motif are present in the Santal, Khonda Dora, and Jalari, all of whom live in a circumscribed region on the eastern Indian coast. Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA control region sequence from individuals with the 9-bp deletion indicate that it has arisen independently in some Indian tribal populations. Other 9-bp deletion haplotypes are likely to be of Asian and African origin, implying multiple origins of the 9-bp deletion in South India. These results demonstrate varying genetic affinities of different South Indian tribes to continental populations and underscore the complex histories of the tribal populations living in South Asia. Am J Phys Anthropol 109:147–158, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Red cell glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency among Andhras

Sixty-eight Andhra males and 45 Andhra females from Visakhapatnam town of Andhra Pradesh, India have been investigated for G-6-PD deficiency. The GdB- gene has a frequency of 4.41% among males. No G-6-PH deficient females were detected. The present data have been compared with the available tribal and non-tribal data from Andhra Pradesh. It is observed that the present sample, though non-tribal in nature, presents a relatively considerable frequency of the GdB- gene.     

Genetic structure of three Naikpod subpopulations of Andhra Pradesh, India

The genetic structure of three subpopulations of the Naikpod tribe of Andhra Pradesh, India, was examined by studying three blood group, six red cell enzyme, and five protein systems and phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity. The gene frequency data of 15 loci are compared among the subpopulations as well as with those reported for other population groups from India. The analysis of gene diversity revealed that the gene differentiation among the subpopulations relative to total population is only 0.02, indicating that the genetic differentiation between subpopulations is very small compared with that within them. This is corroborated by the small genetic distances found among them. The effect of differentiation of microgeographical and breeding isolation on gene diversity and genetic differentiation among the three subpopulations is apparently low.     

A genetic study of the Konda Kapu tribe of coastal Andhra Pradesh, South India

Phenotype and gene frequencies of two blood group and four red cell enzyme systems were examined in a Konda Kapu tribal sample of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, South India. The gene frequencies for these systems in Konda Kapus indicate the middle range values for Andhra Pradesh tribal populations, excepting the ADA and Rh(D) systems, where extreme range values are found. Further, gene flow is indicated between the Konda Kapus under study and Plain Kapus, a neighbouring caste population by calculation of Fi estimates.     

Genetic affinities of AB0 and Rh blood groups among populations of Andhra Pradesh, India: 2. Tribes

Genetic affinities of 21 tribal populations of Andhra Pradesh are reported in terms of genetic distance analysis with regard to AB0 and Rh loci. These tribal populations show a high degree of differentiation in the distribution of AB0 blood groups. Some tribes exhibit the monomorphism for Rh (D) locus. The genetic distance analysis reveals that the 21 tribes included in this study are genetically distant from one another and the genetic clustering pattern correlates with linguistic/ethnic affiliation and geographical propinquity of these tribal populations to a certain extent. The possible reasons for different cluster formations are discussed.