Y-chromosome haplotypes defined by 17 STRs included in AmpFlSTR Yfiler PCR Amplification Kit in a multi ethnical population from El Beni Department (North Bolivia).

Seventeen Y-STRs included in AmpFlSTR Yfiler PCR Amplification Kit (Applied Biosystems, USA) were studied in males from a multi ethnical population from El Beni Department (North Bolivia). Haplotypic and allelic frequencies were reported. Comparison of El Beni population with other samples from the region was carried out through Multidimensional Scalling over Rst distances matrix.

HUMTH01, HUMVWA31A, HUMCSF1PO and HUMTPOX polymorphisms in Amerindian populations living in the Beni department of Bolivia.

This report presents allele frequency and absolute genotype data of the short tandem repeat (STR) loci HUMTH01, HUMVWA31A, HUMCSF1PO and HUMTPOX for three autochthonous Amerindian populations living in the Beni Department of Bolivia. These related groups are the Quechua, Aymara and Beni populations all living in specific although sometimes overlapping areas that extend from the Andean habitat to the lowland Llanos de Moxos savannah passing through the Piedmont hills. The usefulness of these loci for paternity and identification testing was also examined. The present work completes previous genetic studies performed by the authors in these populations including mtDNA haplogroups (Bert et al., Hum Biol, 73:1-16, 2001) and HVRI data (Bert et al., Ann Hum Biol 31:9-28, 2004; Corella et al., Ann Hum Biol 34:34-35, 2007).

Mitochondrial DNA diversity of the Amerindian populations living in the Andean Piedmont of Bolivia: Chimane, Moseten, Aymara and Quechua.

BACKGROUND: Chimane, Moseten Aymara and Quechua are Amerindian populations living in the Bolivian Piedmont, a characteristic ecoregion between the eastern slope of the Andean mountains and the Amazonian Llanos de Moxos. In both neighbouring areas, dense and complex societies have developed over the centuries. The Piedmont area is especially interesting from a human peopling perspective since there is no clear evidence regarding the genetic influence and peculiarities of these populations. This land has been used extensively as a territory of economic and cultural exchange between the Andes and Amazonia, however Chimane and Moseten populations have been sufficiently isolated from their neighbour groups to be recognized as distinct populations. Genetic information suggests that evolutionary processes, such as genetic drift, natural selection and genetic admixture have formed the history of the Piedmont populations. AIM: The objective of this study is to characterize the genetic diversity of the Piedmont populations, analysing the sequence variability of the HVR-I control region in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Haplogroup mtDNA data available from the whole of Central and South America were utilized to determine the relationship of the Piedmont populations with other Amerindian populations. SUBJECT AND METHODS: Hair pulls were obtained in situ, and DNA from non-related individuals was extracted using a standard Chelex 100 method. A 401 bp DNA fragment of HVR-I region was amplified using standard procedures. Two independent 401 and 328 bp DNA fragments were sequenced separately for each sample. The sequence analyses included mismatch distribution and mean pairwise differences, median network analyses, AMOVA and principal component analyses. The genetic diversity of DNA sequences was measured and compared with other South Amerindian populations. RESULTS: The genetic diversity of 401 nucleotide mtDNA sequences, in the hypervariable Control Region, from positions 16 000-16 400, was characterized in a sample of 46 Amerindians living in the Piedmont area in the Beni Department of Bolivia. The results obtained indicate that the genetic diversity in the area is higher than that observed in other American groups living in much larger areas and despite the reduced size of the studied area the human groups analysed show high levels of inter-group variability. In addition, results show that Amerindian populations living in the Piedmont are genetically more related to those in the Andean than in the Amazonian populations.