Southeast Asian Mitochondrial DNA Analysis Reveals Genetic Continuity of Ancient Mongoloid Migrations

• Published in: Genetics (Austin) 1992-01, Vol.130 (1), p.139-152
• Main Authors: Ballinger, S. W, Schurr, T. G, Torroni, A, Gan, Y. Y, Hodge, J. A, Hassan, K, Chen, K. H, Wallace, D. C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Asia, Southeastern; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - classification; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Frequency - genetics; Genetic Variation - genetics; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Genetics, Population; Haplotypes; Human; Humans; Investigations; Mutation - genetics; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; Population genetics, reproduction patterns; RNA, Transfer, Lys - genetics
• ISSN: 0016-6731; 1943-2631; 1943-2631
• DOI: 10.1093/genetics/130.1.139

Human mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) from 153 independent samples encompassing seven Asian populations were surveyed for sequence variation using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction endonuclease analysis and oligonucleotide hybridization. All Asian populations were found to share two ancient AluI/DdeI polymorphisms at nps 10394 and 10397 and to be genetically similar indicating that they share a common ancestry. The greatest mtDNA diversity and the highest frequency of mtDNAs with HpaI/HincII morph 1 were observed in the Vietnamese suggesting a Southern Mongoloid origin of Asians. Remnants of the founding populations of Papua New Guinea (PNG) were found in Malaysia, and a marked frequency cline for the COII/tRNA(Lys) intergenic deletion was observed along coastal Asia. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that both insertion and deletion mutations in the COII/tRNA(Lys) region have occurred more than once.