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Mitochondrial DNA variation in Nicobarese Islanders.
B V Prasad1, C E Ricker, W S Watkins
1Department of Anthropology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Human Biology
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis reveals Nicobar Islanders share ancestry with mainland Southeast Asian populations. This suggests early human migrations westward into the Andaman Sea islands.
Area of Science:
- Population Genetics
- Human Origins
- Southeast Asian Studies
Background:
- The Nicobar Islands' aboriginal populations are hypothesized to descend from early Southeast Asian dispersals.
- Previous studies on ethnography, linguistics, morphometrics, and protein polymorphisms have not definitively identified Nicobarese ancestral links.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the origins and genetic affinities of the Nicobar Islanders.
- To clarify the relationship between Nicobarese people and other global populations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable region 1 sequence data from 33 Nicobarese Islanders.
- Comparison of Nicobarese mtDNA haplotypes with those from various Asian, Australian, Pacific Islander, and African populations.
Main Results:
- Unique Nicobarese mtDNA haplotypes were identified.
- Five Nicobarese mtDNA haplotypes were linked to the COII/tRNA(Lys) 9-bp deletion.
- Nicobarese mtDNA haplotypes show the closest relationship to those from mainland Southeast Asian Mon-Kmer-speaking groups, such as Cambodians.
Conclusions:
- The genetic findings support a close affinity between Nicobarese and mainland Southeast Asian populations.
- This suggests a possible westward expansion and colonization of the Andaman Sea islands by southern Chinese populations.