Genetic variation within the Tupi linguistic group: new data on three Amazonian tribes

Abstract

A total of 505 individuals belonging to four populations of three Brazilian Indian tribes were variously studied in relation to 34 genetic systems, and the results were compared with South American Indian averages and five other Tupi populations. Rare variants (CdE of the Rh system, PGM211-1, Cp A-CAY1, serum cholinesterase2 C5+ and some Gm combinations) were observed with varying prevalences, and the three tribes showed different degrees of departure (28%-40% of differences of 10% or more in gene frequencies) from South American Indian averages. People from two communities who speak the same language and are labelled as belonging to the same tribe (Asurini) showed a large degree of genetic differentiation. Another of the tribes studied (Urubu-Kaapor) link through genetic distance analyses with two other tribes from the north of the continent, forming a distinct microevolutionary unit. These features emphasize the peculiarities of the genetic variation in populations with a hunter-gatherer, rudimentary agriculture type of economy.

Estudo de grupos sangüíneos em doadores de sangue caucasóides e negróides na cidade de São Paulo

“…A freqüência do fenótipo Le(a+b+) é mais comum em outras populações, tais como japoneses, (20). Quando comparamos nossos resultados para o fenótipo Rh negativo em negros com os da literatura internacional, notamos que nossa casuística foi próxima da observada em negros americanos (6,1%) O fenótipo Dccee é considerado um dos marcadores da raça negra (35 ).…”

Isoelectric focusing studies in Brazilian Indians —uncovering variation of ORM, AHSG and IF—

“…The samples were collected in seven villages scattered along the reservation, but since the number obtained in each was small they were pooled for this analysis. Previous genetic studies among them were reported by Black et al (1988).…”

“…First contacts with non-Indians started in the 1970s only. Other genetic and cultural information about them can be found in Black et al (1980Black et al ( , 1988. …”

“…The present report presents results on the orosomucoid 1 (ORM1), orosomucoid 2 (ORM2), alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) and complement component 1 (factor I, IF) loci for three Brazilian Indian tribes, already studied for around 30 other systems (Hamel et aI., 1984;Salzano et al, 1985;Black et al, 1988). The information available for ORM1 and ORM2 is thus extended, and the first results for AHSG and IF in unmixed Amerindians are given, with the concomitant discovery of new variants.…”

The Awá-Guajá Indians of the Brazilian Amazon

“…We have also investigated whether the partial geographic isolation and the differential historic formation of the three villages have caused genetic differentiation. Furthermore, we have compared our original data for Awá-Guajá to those available in the literature [3] for Urubú-Kaapor concerning the analyzed systems in this work, in order to investigate whether there is a genetic flux between these two tribes.…”