[Genetic polymorphism in three indigenous ethnic populations of Dagestan]

Genetic, demographic, and biochemical studies of three isolated ethnic populations of Dagestan were performed. Two populations lived in their historical (highland and lowland) habitats, and one population migrated from highlands to lowlands, i.e., changed its environment. A substantial genetic differentiation with respect to eight biochemical systems and marital structure was found. Altitudinal variation was revealed in allelic frequencies of group-specific component (GC) and haptoglobin (HP). The frequency of allele GC * 1 decreased and that of allele HP * 1 increased as the altitude increased in the studied localities. The studied populations differed with respect to the average heterozygosity levels per locus. Both absolute heterozygosity levels and the pattern of interpopulation differences estimated for all of the eight biochemical markers considerably differed from those estimated for all markers except for GC and HP. These data indicate that the latter two biochemical systems are important for adaptation of the studied Dagestan populations. In surviving migrants from highlands to lowlands, the levels of inbreeding and genetic polymorphism were intermediate between these values for highlanders and native lowlanders. Earlier, the 30% selective mortality was revealed in migrants from highlands to lowlands during the first years of adaptation to new conditions. Those individuals who died had a higher inbreeding level, homozygosity, and physiological sensitivity. In this study, only surviving migrants were examined. Therefore, it may be suggested that the inadaptive (dying) part of migrants also differed from the adaptive (surviving) part in the higher HP * 1 and GC * 2 allelic frequencies.