Distribution of HLA and haplotypes of Colombian and Jamaican black populations

ABSTRACT

To investigate the genetic background of the black populations of Colombia and Jamaica, we determined HLA types of 78 Colombian and 98 Jamaican blacks from 2 different socioeconomic groups (Jamaican #1 and Jamaican #2) and estimated the frequencies of HLA genes and haplotypes. A phylogenetic tree based on the HLA gene frequencies revealed that Jamaican #1 and Jamaican #2 were distinct from each other, Jamaican #1 being closely related to Colombian blacks and the Jamaican #2 being closely related to Senegalese and Zairean populations. Three-locus haplotypes of Colombian and Jamaican #1 blacks were an admixture between Africans and Caucasians or South American Indians while Jamaican #2 blacks were relatively homogeneous and appeared to conserve African lineages. The major five-locus HLA haplotypes were not shared among Colombian, Jamaican #1 and Jamaican #2 blacks. These results indicated that the black populations of Colombia and Jamaica were originated from African blacks and admixed variably with Caucasians and South Americans Indians to make genetic subpopulations in Colombia and Jamaica. (AU)