GM allotypes in Native Americans: evidence for three distinct migrations across the Bering land bridge

We report the results of typings, for immunoglobulin G allotypes, of 5392 Native Americans from ten samples, the typings having been performed over the last 20 years. Four cultural groups are represented: the Pimans-Pima and Papago; the Puebloans-Zuni and Hopi; the Pai-Walapai; and the Athabascans-Apache and Navajo. The haplotype Gm1;21 has the highest frequency in each population while Gm1,2;21 is polymorphic in all except the Hopi. The Mongoloid marker Gm1;11,13 is found primarily in the Athabascans. The Caucasian haplotype Gm3;5,11,13 is found at polymorphic frequencies in several of the populations but its frequency is very low or absent among nonadmixed individuals. Although Nei's standard genetic distance analysis demonstrates genetic similarity at the Gm and Km loci, the heterogeneity that does exist is consistent both with what is known about the prehistory of Native Americans and traditional cultural categories. When the current Gm distributions are analyzed with respect to the three-migration hypothesis, there are three distinct Gm distributions for the postulated migrants: Gm1;21 and Gm1,2;21 for the Paleo-Indians 16,000 to 40,000 years ago; Gm1;21, Gm1,2;21, and Gm1;11,13 for the second wave of Na-Dene hunters 12,000 to 14,000 years ago; and Gm1;21 and Gm1;11,13 for the Eskimo-Aleut migration 9,000 years ago. The Pimans, Puebloans, and the Pai are descendents of the Paleo-Indians while the Apache and Navajo are the contemporary populations related to the Na-Dene. Finally, the Gm distribution in Amerindians is found to be consistent with a hypothesis of one migration of Paleo-Indians to South American, while the most likely homeland for the three ancestral populations is found to be in northeastern Asia.     

Immunoglobulin (GM and KM) allotypes in the Sikh population of India

The populations of India are genetically diverse, both within and between geographic regions; immunoglobulin (GM) allotypes provide important information on genetic differences between populations, since the frequencies of combinations of allotypes (termed "haplotypes") vary dramatically among ethnic groups. As part of a project to assess genetic diversity among defined Indian populations, we have examined eight GM allotypes in a sample of 101 unrelated Sikhs who have migrated to Toronto, Canada: Glm(1, 2, 3, 17) and G3m (5, 15, 16, 21). Sikhs are a religious group that arose in the Punjab about 1500 A.D.; most of the original converts are believed to have been middle to upper-middle caste Hindus. Gm allotyping showed that six Gm haplotypes occurred at polymorphic frequencies (greater than 0.01) in Sikhs: Gm3;5, Gm1,17;21, Gm1,2,17;21, Gm1,17;5, Gm1,17;15,16, and Gm1,3;5. These haplotypes have all been previously reported in Indian populations. The frequencies of the first four haplotypes resembled the published frequencies for lower-caste Hindus of NW India more than upper-caste Hindus. However, the last two haplotypes have been found only in upper-caste Hindus. The frequency of one of these, Gm1,17;15,16 was higher in Sikhs (0.09) than has been reported in any Indian population with the exception of Parsis (who are descended from Iranians). We speculate that the high frequency of this haplotype may have been characteristic of some of the Hindu castes in the Punjab from which Sikhs are descended.     

Immunoglobulin (GM and KM) allotypes and relation to population history in native peoples of British Columbia: Haida and Bella Coola

Differences in the frequencies of GM haplotypes among native peoples of the Americas support the hypothesis that there were three distinct waves of migration from northeast Asia into the Americas: Paleo-Indian, Na-Dene, and Inuit (Eskimo)-Aleut (Salzano and Steinberg: Am. J. Hum. Genet. 17:273-279, 1965; Sukernik and Osipova: Hum. Genet. 61:148-153, 1982; Williams et al.:Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 66:1-19, 1985; Szathmary: In R Kirk and E Szathmary (eds): Out of Asia: Peopling of the Americas and the Pacific. Canberra: The Journal of Pacific History, Canberra Australian National University, pp. 79-104, 1985). We studied GM allotypes in two linguistically unique populations of Canadian west coast native peoples, the Haida and the Bella Coola, and compared them to GM frequencies in populations that are supposed descendants of the three migrations, in order to investigate the possible genetic relationships of these British Columbia (BC) groups to other native populations. We also estimated the amount of European admixture from the frequency of the Caucasian haplotype, Gm3;5. Results showed that the frequencies in both BC populations of the three common native haplotypes (Gm1,17;21, Gm1,2,17;21, and Gm1,17;15,16), were intermediate between the frequencies in supposed descendants of Paleo-Indian and Na-Dene. These genetic findings are consistent with the controversial hypothesis of archeologist C. Borden (Science 203:963-971, 1979) that, following deglaciation about 13,000 years ago, British Columbia was repopulated by peoples from the north (?Na-Dene) and by culturally distinct peoples from the south (?Paleo-Indian). Caucasian admixture estimates suggested that the Haida and Bella Coola have also experienced moderate amounts (12-20%) of genetic input from European-originating peoples.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Genetic position of Andalusians from Huelva in relation to other European and North African populations: a study based on GM and KM allotypes

An understanding of population relationships in the Mediterranean region is crucial to the reconstruction of recent human evolution. Andalusia, the most southern region of Spain, has been continuously and densely occupied since ancient times and has a rich history of contacts with many different Mediterranean populations. Thus, to understand the Mediterranean peopling process, investigators should analyze the population relationships between the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa based on an assessment of genetic diversity that takes Andalusia into consideration. The aim of this study was to address the extent of genetic variation in the Iberian peninsula between its geographic extremes (Huelva and the Basque area) and to explain the intensity of the phylogenetic relationships between Andalusians and other neighboring populations, such as those from North Africa. We present, for the first time, results on allotype markers (GM and KM) of human immunoglobulins in the Andalusian population from Huelva. The most frequent GM haplotypes in Andalusia correspond to those that are also the most common in Europe. A sub-Saharan haplotype was found at a relatively high frequency compared to other Iberian samples, and a North Asian marker did not reach polymorphic frequencies in the study sample. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on the first two principal components (94.1% of the total genetic variance) revealed an interesting geographic structure for the 49 populations selected from the literature. The Huelva sample showed a central position in the multivariate space--despite being geographically located at one of the extremes of the Mediterranean basin--and clustered with most Western European populations. Western Europe and Eastern Europe (the latter group paradoxically including Italy and the major islands of the western Mediterranean) were differentiated. North African populations were grouped in two clusters that did not separate either Arabs and Berbers or their present-day countries. Analysis of immunoglobulin allotype markers shows that gene flow among human populations should generally be interpreted in terms of complex patterns, with the observed frequencies being the consequence of the entire genetic and demographic history of the population. Single historical events rarely determine gene frequencies in large human populations. Analysis of the GM system has shown that the Andalusian population from Huelva, as a result of its complex history, is not simply an outstanding part of the Mediterranean world but rather the genetic center of gravity of that world.     

Immunoglobulin allotypes of European populations. II.Gm, Am and Km(Inv) allotypic markers in Czechoslovakians.

The distribution of G1m(f,z,a, and x), G2m(n), G3m(b0, b1, b3, b5, c3, c5, g, s, t, and v), A2m(1 and 2) and Km(1) (formerly Inv[1]) allotypic determinants has been examined in a series of Czechoslovakian blood donors. The results indicate that Gmza;-;gvA2m1, Gmzax;-;gvA2m1, Gmf;n;bvA2m1 and Gmf;-;bvA2m1 are present in polymorphic frequencies. Further, 9 idiomorphic phenotypes were observed; however, without family data it was not possible to exactly define the majority of these. The observed frequencies of Gmza;g, Gmzax;g and Gmf;b and Km1 are similar to those observed previously in Czechoslovakians and similar to those observed in adjacent populations, though different from those observed in Western Europeans, primarily due to a higher frequency of Gmf;b in Czechoslovakians.     

Asian affinities and continental radiation of the four founding Native American mtDNAs.

The mtDNA variation of 321 individuals from 17 Native American populations was examined by high-resolution restriction endonuclease analysis. All mtDNAs were amplified from a variety of sources by using PCR. The mtDNA of a subset of 38 of these individuals was also analyzed by D-loop sequencing. The resulting data were combined with previous mtDNA data from five other Native American tribes, as well as with data from a variety of Asian populations, and were used to deduce the phylogenetic relationships between mtDNAs and to estimate sequence divergences. This analysis revealed the presence of four haplotype groups (haplogroups A, B, C, and D) in the Amerind, but only one haplogroup (A) in the Na-Dene, and confirmed the independent origins of the Amerinds and the Na-Dene. Further, each haplogroup appeared to have been founded by a single mtDNA haplotype, a result which is consistent with a hypothesized founder effect. Most of the variation within haplogroups was tribal specific, that is, it occurred as tribal private polymorphisms. These observations suggest that the process of tribalization began early in the history of the Amerinds, with relatively little intertribal genetic exchange occurring subsequently. The sequencing of 341 nucleotides in the mtDNA D-loop revealed that the D-loop sequence variation correlated strongly with the four haplogroups defined by restriction analysis, and it indicated that the D-loop variation, like the haplotype variation, arose predominantly after the migration of the ancestral Amerinds across the Bering land bridge.     

GM, KM immunoglobulin allotypes and other serum genetic markers (HP, GC, PI, and TF) among South American populations living at different altitudes (Jujuy Province, Argentina): admixture estimates

A total of 154 individuals belonging to three populations located at different altitude levels in northwest Argentina (San Salvador de Jujuy, 1,200 m; Tilcara, 2,500 m; Abra Pampa, 3,500 m) were studied for the GM, KM, HP, GC, PI and TF genetic systems. Individuals were selected on the basis of ethnocultural affiliation. Gene frequency values were found to be comparable to those reported for other South American populations. The populations studied showed a close genetic identity and an absence of interpopulation heterogeneity. Distribution of the GM phenotypes and haplotypes corresponds to historical data on human settlements in Jujuy Province. The presence of some alleles and the anthropological significance of the allele distribution are discussed, as are the effects of the admixture with Africans and Spaniards. The genetic pattern appears to be the result of a varying admixture due to the genetic isolation in populations located at various altitude levels.     

The genetic position of the autochthonous subpopulation of Northern Navarre (Spain) in relation to other basque subpopulations. A study based on GM and KM immunoglobulin allotypes

GM and KM immunoglobulin (Ig) allotypes were tested in 118 autochthonous Basques from northern Navarre. The results are compared to those obtained for the same genetic markers in 6 other Basque subpopulations, 3 from Spain (Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya, and Alava) and 3 from France: Macaye, Saint-Jean Pied de Port, and Mauleon. The northern Navarrese appear genetically closer to the Alava and Saint-Jean Pied de Port subpopulations. The Basques present 3 GM haplotypes that are uncommon in Caucasian populations, suggesting that they have not been completely isolated either from Asian or African populations. The GM*1,17 23' 10,11,13,15,16 north Asian haplotype was probably the first to be introduced into the Basque area. The GM*1,17 23' 5* haplotype, considered an African genetic marker although also detected in Central Asia, would have reached the Iberian Peninsula through consecutive historic migrations from North Africa. The rare haplotype GM*1,17 23 21,28 results probably from a genetic recombination or crossing-over between the 2 common haplotypes GM*1, 17 23' 21,28 and GM*3 23 5*. It is also found with a low frequency in other neighboring regions and countries; but the possibility of its having been introduced through the main passage connecting western France and Spain during the Roman Empire and Middle Ages cannot be ruled out.     

mtDNA history of the Cayapa Amerinds of Ecuador: detection of additional founding lineages for the Native American populations.

mtDNA variation in the Cayapa, an Ecuadorian Amerindian tribe belonging to the Chibcha-Paezan linguistic branch, was analyzed by use of hypervariable control regions I and II along with two linked regions undergoing insertion/deletion mutations. Three major maternal lineage clusters fit into the A, B, and C founding groups first described by Schurr and colleagues in 1990, whereas a fourth lineage, apparently unique to the Cayapa, has ambiguous affinity to known clusters. The time of divergence from a common maternal ancestor of the four lineage groups is of sufficient age that it indicates an origin in Asia and supports the hypothesis that the degree of variability carried by the Asian ancestral populations into the New World was rather high. Spatial autocorrelation analysis points out (a) statistically significant nonrandom distributions of the founding lineages in the Americas, because of north-south population movements that have occurred since the first Asian migrants spread through Beringia into the Americas, and (b) an unusual pattern associated with the D lineage cluster. The values of haplotype and nucleotide diversity that are displayed by the Cayapa appear to differ from those observed in other Chibchan populations but match those calculated for South American groups belonging to various linguistic stocks. These data, together with the results of phylogenetic analysis performed with the Amerinds of Central and South America, highlight the difficulty in the identification of clear coevolutionary patterns between linguistic and genetic relationships in particular human populations.     

New approaches to the study of disease in archeological New World populations.

One of the objectives of paleopathology is to clarify the role of disease in the evolution of human groups. The recovery of DNA and immunoglobulins from archeological human skeletal tissue offers a method for enhancing and expanding our knowledge about the presence and significance of disease in past human populations. DNA also might reveal the presence of genetic disease. Immunoglobulins recovered from archeological bone indicate some of the diseases to which an individual was exposed during life. This information also provides supporting evidence for anatomical observations of skeletal disease. This is illustrated by the identification of treponemal antibody in an archeological skeleton that has gross lesions suggestive of treponematosis. Similar biochemical methods could be applied to other research problems to clarify the presence of various syndromes of the inflammatory erosive arthropathies, such as rheumatoid arthritis, in New World archeological populations. Some of these syndromes are associated with DNA sequences and specific proteins that are recoverable from archeological skeletal tissue.     

Brief communication: immunoglobulin (Gm and Km) allotypes in two populations of Catalonia (Spain)

Serum samples from two populations of Catalonia, Spain, 208 from Olot (Gerona) and 209 from Tortosa (Tarragona), were typed for G1m (1, 2, 3, 17), G3m (5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 26), and Km (1). The Gm patterns of the Catalonian populations are characterized by the presence of four haplotypes, Gm 1,17;21,26 Gm 1,2,17;21,26 Gm 1,3;5,10,11,13,14,26 and Gm 3;5,10,11,13,14,26. The homogeneity for haplotype Gm 1,17;21,26 among our data and other European populations suggests the existence of an isofrequency line which starts from the Mediterranean zone of Iberian Peninsula and continues through the northwestern part of Europe. From this line a decreasing cline towards the south can be observed. For the haplotype Gm 1,2;17,21,26, affinities are observed between Catalonian populations and other populations from central Europe. This confirms the existence of a gradient towards low values from NW to SE. The presence of the typical Mongoloid haplotype Gm 1,3;5,10,11,13,14,26 is discussed in this paper. No significant differences in the frequencies of the Km1 allele were observed among the European populations.     

Human treponematosis and tuberculosis: evidence from the New World.

The purpose of this study has been first, to critically review the evidence for the presence of human treponematosis and tuberculosis in the skeletal remains of prehistoric natives in the New World, and second, to report on nine new cases dated to before contact and suggesting the presence of these two disease conditions. A review of the medical history and findings by human paleopathologists leaves little doubt that both diseases originated in the Old World. The findings of this study lend further support to the fact that, although rare, human treponematosis and tuberculosis were indeed endemic in the pre-Columbia New World before contact. There is no evidence that these two diseases could have arisen independently and de novo, especially during the relatively short time since man's arrival in the New World. Where a disease has been endemic for quite some time as appears to be the case with human treponematosis and tuberculosis, milder forms of the disease and improved host response could have developed in which only the most severe cases would be observable. This explains the rarity of skeletal lesions suggestive of these two human disease conditions in prehistoric human populations.     

The Future of the Past: Archeologists, Native Americans, and Repatriation.

The Future of the Past: Archeologists, Native Americans, and Repatriation. Tamara L. Bray. New York: Garland Publishing. 2001. 252 pp.     

Resistance and cross-resistance to four insecticides in populations of obliquebanded leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Populations of obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris), were collected from organic and conventionally managed orchards located in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys of British Columbia Neonate F1 progeny were assayed for resistance to azinphosmethyl, tebufenozide, methoxyfenozide, and indoxacarb using a leaf disk bioassay. Significant differences in resistance levels among populations were observed for all four insecticides. Insects collected from organic sites were more susceptible to all insecticides than were insects collected from conventional sites. Resistance to the benzoylhydrazine insect growth regulators tebufenozide and methoxyfenozide was highly correlated with resistance to azinphosmethyl across populations, indicating cross-resistance between these compounds. The highest levels of resistance were observed with indoxacarb, but resistance levels to indoxacarb did not correlate with those for azinphosmethyl. Dose-response regression lines for tebufenozide were parallel across populations, suggesting that the resistance mechanism(s) were quantitatively, but not qualitatively, different. Cross-resistance between azinphosmethyl and benzoylhydrazine insecticides indicates that a resistance management strategy for obliquebanded leafroller involving the rotation of these materials is not likely to be successful.     

Isotope evidence for latitudinal migrations of the dragonfly Sympetrum fonscolombii (Odonata: Libellulidae) in Middle Asia

• Sympetrum fonscolombii dragonflies are believed to migrate seasonally. In the spring and early summer, the already-mature dragonflies arrive in Middle Asia for reproduction. In the late summer and autumn, summer-generation dragonflies migrate to the south. Their wintering places remain unknown.
• Stable hydrogen (δ²H) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotope analyses were conducted to confirm the migration of S. fonscolombii and determine the wintering area. Stable isotope composition of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) in wings and legs was used to clarify the habitats in which dragonfly development took place.
• Three cohorts of dragonflies collected in different regions of Middle Asia were used for analysis: (i) immigrants that arrived in the spring, (ii) residents that developed in Middle Asia, and (iii) transit dragonflies migrating to the south during autumn.
• The average δ²H values in the wings were significantly higher in immigrants (−96‰) than in residents (−134‰) and transit individuals (−124‰). High δ¹⁸O and δ¹⁵N values in the tissue of immigrants confirmed their southerly origin.
• Based on the species range and the global distribution of annual averages of δ²H and δ¹⁸O values in precipitation, the latitudinal migrations of S. fonscolombii were inferred to cover the area from the proposed natal regions of immigrants in South-West Asia (below ∼36°N) to Southern Ural and the south of Western Siberia in the north (54–55°N) with a maximum migration distance of more than 4000 km.