Alu Polymorphic Insertions Reveal Genetic Structure of North Indian Populations

Document Type

Article

Authors

Manorama Tripathi, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical SciencesFollow
Piyush Tripathi, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences
Ugam Kumari Chauhan, Awadhesh Pratap Singh University
Rene J. Herrera, Florida International University

Abstract

The Indian subcontinent is characterized by the ancestral and cultural diversity of its people. Genetic input from several unique source populations and from the unique social architecture provided by the caste system has shaped the current genetic landscape of India. In the present study 200 individuals each from three upper-caste and four middle-caste Hindu groups and from two Muslim populations in North India were examined for 10 polymorphic Alu insertions (PAIs). The investigated PAIs exhibit high levels of polymorphism and average heterozygosity. Limited interpopulation variance and genetic flow in the present study suggest admixture. The results of this study demonstrate that, contrary to common belief, the caste system has not provided an impermeable barrier to genetic exchange among Indian groups.

Recommended Citation

Tripathi, Manorama; Tripathi, Piyush; Chauhan, Ugam Kumari; and Herrera, Rene J. (2008) "Alu Polymorphic Insertions Reveal Genetic Structure of North Indian Populations," Human Biology: Vol. 80: Iss. 5, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol80/iss5/2