Mitochondrial DNA control region sequence variation suggests an independent origin of an {open_quotes}Asian-specific{close_quotes} 9-bp deletion in Africans

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · American Journal of Human Genetics

OSTI ID:133943

Soodyall, H; Redd, A; Vigilant, ^[1]

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1. Pennsylvania State Univ., Univeristy Park, PA (United States); and others

The intergenic noncoding region between the cytochrome oxidase II and lysyl tRNA genes of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is associated with two tandemly arranged copies of a 9-bp sequence. A deletion of one of these repeats has been found at varying frequencies in populations of Asian descent, and is commonly referred to as an {open_quotes}Asian-specific{close_quotes} marker. We report here that the 9-bp deletion is also found at a frequency of 10.2% (66/649) in some indigenous African populations, with frequencies of 28.6% (20/70) in Pygmies, 26.6% (12/45) in Malawians and 15.4% (31/199) in southeastern Bantu-speaking populations. The deletion was not found in 123 Khoisan individuals nor in 209 western Bantu-speaking individuals, with the exception of 3 individuals from one group that was admixed with Pygmies. Sequence analysis of the two hypervariable segments of the mtDNA control region reveals that the types associated with the African 9-bp deletion are different from those found in Asian-derived populations with the deletion. Phylogenetic analysis separates the {open_quotes}African{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}Asian{close_quotes} 9-bp deletion types into two different clusters which are statistically supported. Mismatch distributions based on the number of differences between pairs of mtDNA types are consistent with this separation. These findings strongly support the view that the 9-bp deletion originated independently in Africa and in Asia.

• OSTI ID: 133943
• Report Number(s): CONF-941009--
• Journal Information: American Journal of Human Genetics, Journal Name: American Journal of Human Genetics Journal Issue: Suppl.3 Vol. 55; ISSN AJHGAG; ISSN 0002-9297
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
AFRICA
ASIA
BIOLOGICAL MARKERS
DNA
DNA SEQUENCING
GENE MUTATIONS
GENES
GENETIC VARIABILITY
HUMAN POPULATIONS
MITOCHONDRIA
MUTATION FREQUENCY
ORIGIN