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Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in Italy; III. Population data from Sicily: a possible quantitation of maternal African ancestry
Author(s) -
SEMINO O.,
TORRONI A.,
SCOZZARI R.,
BREGA A.,
BENEDICTIS G. De,
BENERECETTI A. S. SANTACHIARA
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
annals of human genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1469-1809
pISSN - 0003-4800
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-1809.1989.tb01784.x
Subject(s) - mitochondrial dna , genetics , biology , population , evolutionary biology , geography , demography , gene , sociology
SUMMARY mtDNA polymorphisms were studied in a sample of 90 individuals of the Sicilian population using six restriction enzymes: Hpa I, Bam HI, Hae II, Msp I, Ava II and Hinc II. (1) Three new patterns, for Msp I, Ava II and Hinc II, have been detected. (2) At least two different mutations were found to account for both the Ava II morph 3 and the Ava II morph 9 as in many other Caucasian groups so far examined. (3) Seventeen types were found; of these six are new. The frequency (54.5%) of type 1–2 (2.1.1.1.1.2) is lower than in the rest of Italy whereas those of type 6‐2 (2.1.2.1.1.2) (10.0%) and type 18‐2 (2.3.1.4.9*.2) (12.2%) lie at the upper level of the Italian range. The 18‐derivative, type 57‐2 (2.3.1.4.13*.2), which is consistently found in all Italian samples, is present also among Sicilians with an incidence of 2.2%. (4) Of particular interest is that the Hpa I‐3/ Ava II‐3 complex, which is unique to groups of African ancestry, was found in Sicily at a frequency of 4.4%. For the first time an estimate of the amount of gene flow from Blacks to the Sicilian gene pool could be obtained.