MtDNA Profile of West Africa Guineans: Towards a Better Understanding of the Senegambia Region

Abstract

SummaryThe matrilineal genetic composition of 372 samples from the Republic of Guiné-Bissau (West African coast) was studied using RFLPs and partial sequencing of the mtDNA control and coding region. The majority of the mtDNA lineages of Guineans (94%) belong to West African specific sub-clusters of L0-L3 haplogroups. A new L3 sub-cluster (L3h) that is found in both eastern and western Africa is present at moderately low frequencies in Guinean populations. A non-random distribution of haplogroups U5 in the Fula group, the U6 among the "Brame" linguistic family and M1 in the Balanta-Djola group, suggests a correlation between the genetic and linguistic affiliation of Guinean populations. The presence of M1 in Balanta populations supports the earlier suggestion of their Sudanese origin. Haplogroups U5 and U6, on the other hand, were found to be restricted to populations that are thought to represent the descendants of a southern expansion of Berbers. Particular haplotypes, found almost exclusively in East-African populations, were found in some ethnic groups with an oral tradition claiming Sudanese origin.

Genetic portrait of Lisboa immigrant population from Cabo Verde with mitochondrial DNA analysis

“…Haplogroups L2b and L2c occur frequently on Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Ghana (Rando et al 1998;Jackson et al 2005;González et al 2006;Behar et al 2008;Fendt et al 2012a). Haplogroups L3b and L3d also occur frequently on West African populations, especially in sub-Saharan African populations, with an average of 10% (Rando et al 1998;Rosa et al 2004;Jackson et al 2005), precisely what was verified in the present study (8.7% for each of the haplogroups). Haplogroups L3e2 and L3e4 also occur mostly on West African populations (Salas et al 2002;Behar et al 2008;Fendt et al 2012a).…”

“…Haplogroup L3h1b, found in two of the 103 analysed sequences was first described in a study focussed on Guinea population (Rosa et al 2004). Haplogroup L3k, found in three of the 103 analysed sequences has been found in Tunisia and Libya populations (Behar et al 2008).…”

“…Further study may be needed as L2a1a may be linked to the expansion of population groups along the west coast of Africa to southeast Africa, like transatlantic slave trade between the 15th and 19th century. Haplogroup L1b occurs frequently in West African populations (Rosa et al 2004;González et al 2006;Fendt et al 2012a), especially among Senegal's Mandenka and Wolof populations (Rando et al 1998;Jackson et al 2005). Haplogroups L2b and L2c occur frequently on Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Ghana (Rando et al 1998;Jackson et al 2005;González et al 2006;Behar et al 2008;Fendt et al 2012a).…”

What is a ‘novel’ mtDNA mutation – and does ‘novelty’ really matter?

“…The corresponding samples are from Burkina Faso and from North or Central America. This specific mutation motif in HVS-I has also been found elsewhere; for example, in two mtDNAs from Guinea-Bissau (Rosa et al 2004). One could certainly expect some population substructure in regard to this minor subhaplogroup.…”

Mitochondrial DNA mapping of social-biological interactions in Brazilian Amazonian African-descendant populations

“…During the last decade many studies have used lineage markers such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to describe the genetic variability and evolutionary processes of different world populations. Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA lineages (matrilineages) have also been published and many geographic-specific haplogroups have been identified (Vigilant et al 1991;Torroni et al, 1993Torroni et al, , 1996Chen et al, 1995Chen et al, , 2000Santos et al, 1996;Watson et al, 1996Watson et al, , 1997Bortolini et al, 1997Bortolini et al, , 1999Rando et al, 1998;Bandelt et al, 2001;Pereira et al, 2001;Salas et al, 2002Salas et al, , 2004Yao et al, 2002;Mishmar et al, 2003;Rosa et al, 2004;Shen et al, 2004).…”