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Abstract
We studied the distribution of ABO blood groups among three little known subtribes of the Adi tribe, namely, the Panggi, Komkar, and Padam, of the East and Upper Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Blood group O was the predominant group in the Komkar and Padam, whereas group A was the predominant group in the Panggi. Blood group AB was found to be the least frequent group in all three studied populations. The populations showed significant differences in blood groups A (43% in Panggi, 23% in Komkar, and 18% in Padam) and O (33% in Panggi, 54% in Komkar, and 61% in Padam). The chi-square test indicated significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, suggesting high heterogeneity among the tribes.
KEY WORDS: ABO LOCUS, TIBETO-BURMAN POPULATIONS, ADI TRIBES, ARUNACHAL PRADESH, INDIA, ALLELE FREQUENCIES.
The Tibeto-Burman-speaking populations of India are morphologically, culturally, and ethnically distinct and are primarily restricted to the northern and northeastern parts of the subcontinent (Grierson 1909; Ruhlen 1991). These populations are important for understanding the genetic affinity of Indian populations with other Central and Southeast Asian Tibeto-Burman and Austro-Asiatic populations (Blackburn 2004; Elwin 1958; Roychoudhury and Nei 1997). A few of these populations have been studied for anthropological traits, classical genetic markers, or molecular genetic markers (Bhasin et al. 1992; Bhasin and Walter 2001; Chakrabarti et al. 2002; Cordaux et al. 2003; Das et al. 1980; Dutta et al. 2002; Kashyap et al. 2004; Khongsdier and Lama 2000; Kumar et al. 2004; Papiha et al. 1996; Roychoudhury 1992). However, many others have not been studied because of their relative isolation in remote mountainous terrain.
We have undertaken a molecular genetic study in some subtribes of the Adi tribal cluster of central Arunachal Pradesh. We report for the first time the variation in the ABO polymorphic locus in three little known subtribes of the Adi tribe: the Panggi, Komkar, and Padam. Among the studied populations the Padam are one of the largest components of the Adi population, whereas the Panggi and Komkar are relatively smaller in size (about 2,000-3,000 individuals). Although the Panggi and Komkar are primarily hunter-gatherers, the Padam are agriculturalists.
Materials and Methods
Blood samples were collected with prior informed consent from 285 healthy voluntary donors belonging to the Panggi, Komkar,...