Blood groups, phosphoglucomutase, and cerumen types of the Anaham (Chilcotin) Indians

A survey of the blood groups of a Chilcotion band produced unexpected results for the ABO system (0.69 for allele 0, 0.31 for allele A), MNSs system (0.53 for antigen M, 0.47 for antigen N), P (0.36 for P¹). Other loci surveyed were within the range of expectation. The frequency of phosphoglucomutase type PGM was found to be 0.87, and for the dry cerumen allele 0.57. The frequency of the A allele was found to be decreasing among males, and several possibly distinctive characteristics of northern and southern Athapaskans are noted.     

Blood groups and red cell enzymes of the Ross River (Northern Tuchone), and Upper Liard (Slave) Indians

A survey of nine blood group systems was conducted as part of a study of health and nutrition among two Athapsakan groups of the Yukon Territory, Canada. Most of the samples were also analyzed for hemoglobin patterns and G-6-PD variants. The only significant difference in allelic frequencies between the two populations occurred at the P locus. An apparent deficit in the observed frequency of type A₁, and hence a departure from equilibrium, at Upper Laird could not be tested for significance due to insufficient degrees of freedom.     

Blood groups, serum proteins, and red cell enzymes in the Nganasans (Tavghi)-reindeer hunters from Taimir Peninsula

The Nganasans are made up of two recently tribal populations. These, the Avam and Vadey, were established in the seventeenth century from small reindeer hunting bands, themselves apparently descended from the Yukaghir. Data on 13 blood systems have been described for the first time in the Vadey Nganasans, and the results compared with those previously reported for the two Avam subgroups. As a whole, the Nganasans are characterized by low frequency of B blood group, high frequencies of Ns, cDE, Fy(a), Hp(2), absence of A2, P(c), K, and apparently an absence of cde alleles or haplotypes. Measurement of intrapopulation heterogeneity reveals significant divergence among the two Avam subdivisions (chi 2/16=57.59; P less than 0.001), as well as between the total Avam and Vadey (chi 2/17=79.31; P less than 0.001). Founder principle, and local genetic drift, are believed to account for the greater difference between the Avam and Vadey subgroups than that observed between the two Avam populations. The Nganasans of the Taimir Peninsula appear to be the last group of reindeer hunters remaining in Northern Siberia. For ages they have lived in relative isolation, and therefore are the least touched genetically, either by surrounding herding groups originating in Southern Siberia, or by recent Caucasian admixture.     

Blood groups of Cakchiquel Indians from Sumpango, Guatemala

ABO, MN, Rh, P, Lutheran, Kell, Duffy and Kidd blood group systems were studied in a sample of 135 Cakchiquel-speaking Indians from Sumpango, Dpto. Sacatepequez, Guatemala. Sumpango represents an almost exclusively endogamous isolate in the western highlands some 42 km outside of Guatemala City. The bloods were collected by families, and tests on them are much more revealing than on unrelated individuals because the genotypes are so often evident, and genes that could not have been otherwise detected are revealed. What is lost in numbers of unrelated people is probably more than compensated for by the precision of gene identification. Some evidence of foreign genes in this Indian sample is afforded by gene B in a mother and three of her children, in a small frequency (0.01) of R^?2,?3 (cde or cDe), and perhaps in gene MU or Mu in a mother and son. Gene frequencies for the Sumpango sample are very similar to those of Matson and Swanson's ('63) Cakchiquel from nearby Chimaltenango and Patzicia. The Sumpango sample shows lower P and Jk^a and higher R^2,?3 (CDe), and of these the low P and high R^2,?3 stand outside of the known Maya range.     

Blood group, serum protein and red cell enzyme groups of Amerindian populations in Colombia

Red cell samples from persons belonging to four Amerindian linguistic groups in Colombia were investigated for genetic variants in eight blood group systems: for three of the groups investigations were extended to ten red cell enzyme and four serum protein systems. The groups studied are the Noanama (including six Empera) of the Rio Siquirisua and Rio Docampado on the Pacific lowlands and the Cofan, Ingano and Siona Indians of the Upper Rio Putumayo and its tributaries to the east of the Andes. Only blood group O was present among two of the groups and the same groups were 100% Kp(b +), k in the Kell system. Di(a +) frequencies were high in three groups and there was marked variation between groups for the MNS, Rh, P, Lewis and Duffy systems. Polymorphism in all the three linguistic groups studied for serum proteins and red cell enzymes was present only in the red cell acid phosphatase, phosphoglucomutase (locus-1) and haptoglobin systems. 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase was polymorphic in the Noanama, and caeruloplasmin was polymorphic in the Ingano linguistic group. In addition two persons belonging to the Cofan linguistic group revealed the presence of an “atypical” component in the lactate dehydrogenase system. No variation was found in the other six red cell enzyme and two serum protein systems. Comparison with published data on red cell enzyme and serum protein groups for other South American Amerindian populations shows the Colombian populations studied here most closely resemble the Cayapo of Brazil.     

Blood groups and H-Lea salivary secretion of Brazilian Cayapo Indians

Five hundred and twenty-six individuals from four populations were studied in relation to the ABO, MNSs, P, Rh, Lutheran, Kell, Lewis, Duffy, Kidd, Diego and I systems, as well as for the Wright antigen of blood groups. The H-Le^a salivary secretion of 406 of them was also investigated. Considering the gene markers which show variation in South American Indians, the Cayapo frequencies are in the middle of the distribution range for genes L^Ms, R¹ (CDe), R² (cDE), P¹, Jk^a, Di^a and Se but present high values of Le and Fy^a and low ones of L^MS, L^Ns, R^o (cDe) and/or r (cde), L^NS and R^z (CDE). Unusual findings in relation to previous studies are the high prevalence of Le (a+) persons (which, however, could be expected since the frequency of gene Se is not too high) and the presence of one Lu (a+) and one PP₁ (Tj^a) (?) individuals. Comparison of the pattern of inter-village variation in relation to these polymorphisms with those furnished by historical, demographic and morphological data gives in general reasonable concordance, but some results are difficult to interpret. New approaches and further multidisciplinary studies are needed to obtain a clearer picture of the genetic relationships present among different tribes of South American Indians as well as to understand how polymorphisms are created and maintained in human populations.     

Blood group, red cell enzyme and serum protein types in the Buka Islanders, Papua New Guinea

Genetic marker studies on a sample of 80 speakers of the Petats and Tinputs families of languages, all pupils at a single high school, indicate a homogeneity among them which can be extrapolated to their areas of origin. Buka and its offshore islands and the northern part of Bougainville Island in the North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea. Several markers systems, most notably first-locus phosphoglucomutase and liver acetyltransferase, reinforce the morphological evidence that these peoples are quite distinct from most other Papua New Guinea populations, with whom, however, there has been some gene exchange, probably through East New Britain. Their principal affinities are with the peoples of the Solomon Islands to the south.     

Distribution of blood groups, serum markers and red cell enzymes in two human populations from Northern Siberia

555 individuals were examined in relation to the ABO (with A1 and A2 subtypes), MNSs, P, Rh, Lutheran, Kell and Duffy systems. Less individuals were studied for the Kidd and Diego systems as well as for transferrins, haptoglobins and red cell enzymes, i.e. PGM1, 6-PGD, AK, and AcP. Besides, several Gm and Km (1) factors were also studied.