This study focuses on the descendants of the royal Inka family. The Inkas ruled Tawantinsuyu, the largest pre-Columbian empire in South America, which extended from southern Colombia to central Chile. The origin of the royal Inkas is currently unknown. While the mummies of the Inka rulers could have been informative, most were destroyed by Spaniards and the few remaining disappeared without a trace. Moreover, no genetic studies have been conducted on present-day descendants of the Inka rulers. In the present study, we analysed uniparental DNA markers in 18 individuals predominantly from the districts of San Sebastian and San Jerónimo in Cusco (Peru), who belong to 12 families of putative patrilineal descent of Inka rulers, according to documented registries. We used single-nucleotide polymorphisms and short tandem repeat (STR) markers of the Y chromosome (Y-STRs), as well as mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences, to investigate the paternal and maternal descent of the 18 alleged Inka descendants. Two Q-M3* Y-STR clusters descending from different male founders were identified. The first cluster, named AWKI-1, was associated with five families (eight individuals). By contrast, the second cluster, named AWKI-2, was represented by a single individual; AWKI-2 was part of the Q-Z19483 sub-lineage that was likely associated with a recent male expansion in the Andes, which probably occurred during the Late Intermediate Period (1000–1450 AD), overlapping the Inka period. Concerning the maternal descent, different mtDNA lineages associated with each family were identified, suggesting a high maternal gene flow among Andean populations, probably due to changes in the last 1000 years.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00438-018-1427-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.
Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate polyacrylamide electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to reveal changes in the protein pattern of porcine and bovine ovarian follicular fluid at different maturational stages. Separate pools were made of follicles with a diameter of 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and greater than 11 mm excluding hemorrhagic and cystic follicles. Prior to electrophoresis, estradiol-17 beta and androstenedione were analyzed to define the atresic or healthy state of the follicular. Glucose and total protein content of follicles fluid were determined to assess follicular metabolism. Densitometric analysis of both pig and cow follicular fluids from 3-4 mm follicles revealed a distinct band which was absent in other follicle sizes. On the other hand the protein pattern of follicular fluid of cow and pig showed differences in zones of molecular weight higher than 150,000 and lower than 30,000 dalton. This study suggests the possible existence of a common protein to both species which determines the follicle destiny towards ovulation or atresia.
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