In Finland there is a substantial but geographically limited Swedish-speaking minority (in 1980 6.3% of the total population) which originates mainly from Swedish immigrants during the years 1100–1300 AD. The admixture of this population with the neighbouring Finns was studied using more than 20 blood marker loci. The reference populations, Swedes and Finns, in spite of being part of the genetically rather uniform European populations, differ from each other genetically. These quantitative and also qualitative differences in gene frequencies are mostly due to the Finnish population possessing a number of genetic markers absent or rare in the rest of Europe. The results based on a sample of 620 individuals from the Swedish-speaking population in Finland showed a rather high degree of Finnish admixture, which was estimated to about 60%. This admixture most probably occurred at an early stage since it has reached such a high and geographically homogeneous degree.
Archaeological findings and historical records indicate frequent migrations and exchange of genetic material between populations in the Baltic Sea area. However, there have so far been very few attempts to trace migrations in this area using genetic markers. We have studied the Baltic populations with respect to exceptional variations in the frequencies of the Landsteiner-Wiener (LW) blood group. The frequency of the uncommon LWb gene was high in the Balts, around 6% among Latvians and Lithuanians, very low among the other western Europeans (0–0.1%) and apparently absent in Asiatic and African populations. From the Baltic region of peak frequency there was a regular decline of LWb incidence (a descending cline) in the neighboring populations: 4.0% in the Estonians, 2.9% in the Finns, 2.2% in the Vologda Russians, and 2.0% in the Poles. Thus the distribution of LWb suggests considerable and extensive Baltic admixture, especially in the north and northeast direction. In Southern Sweden with an LWb frequency of 0.3%, the Baltic influence appeared slight, while in the population of the Swedish island Gotland in the middle of the Baltic Sea there was a significantly incrased LWb frequency of 1.0% compared with that of Western European countries. The distinction of codominantly inherited LW antigenic forms, LWa and LWb (previously Nea), is known to be due to a single base substitution. Based on our population data, it is plausible that the expansion of this point mutation occurred only once during human history. Furthermore, our data indicate that the expansion of the LWb mutation occurred in Balts and that LWb can be considered a ‘Baltic tribal marker’, its presence in other populations being an indicator of the degree of Baltic genetic influence.
A previously unrecognized infrequent blood group antigen WES occurs with a frequency of 0.56% in the Finnish population, but has an ethnically restricted distribution. Apart from Finns it was found only in 2 donors, most likely of African origin, among 4,655 people tested who represented many different ethnic groups. WES is shown to be a dominant autosomally inherited character different from previously published infrequent antigens. The data allow exclusion from almost all established blood group systems. The WES antigen is destroyed by enzymes α-chymotrypsin and pronase. It is also present in plasma of WES+ individuals. Evidence suggests that the soluble form of the antigen is a high molecular weight protein constituent of plasma. Unlike many other antigens present on red cells as well as in plasma, the WES antigen is well developed on red cells of neonates and can also be found in cord serum.
A unique retinocolobomatous syndrome, the multiple ocular coloboma (MOC) is described in sixteen snow leopards belonging to the Helsinki Zoo pedigree. MOC has been diagnosed in snow leopards from four other zoos in the world. The same syndrome has been reported in the domestic cat, but is not known in any other species. Multidisciplinary investigations have not been able to explain the causes of MOC. MOC is an example of a hitherto unknown type of familial malformations where the available evidence strongly points to nongenetic maternal influences or some external factor affecting all the fetuses in the same way.
A previously unrecognized infrequent blood group antigen WES occurs with a frequency of 0.56% in the Finnish population, but has an ethnically restricted distribution. Apart from Finns it was found only in 2 donors, most likely of African origin, among 4,655 people tested who represented many different ethnic groups. WES is shown to be a dominant autosomally inherited character different from previously published infrequent antigens. The data allow exclusion from almost all established blood group systems. The WES antigen is destroyed by enzymes alpha-chymotrypsin and pronase. It is also present in plasma of WES+ individuals. Evidence suggests that the soluble form of the antigen is a high molecular weight protein constituent of plasma. Unlike many other antigens present on red cells as well as in plasma, the WES antigen is well developed on red cells of neonates and can also be found in cord serum.
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