Z. Morph. Anthrop. 79 3 355-365 Stuttgart, Dezember 1 993

Department of Human Biology, University of Bremen, Germany, and Department of Anthropology, Andhra University, Waltair (A.P.), India

Genetic serum protein markers in eight South Indian caste and tribal populations

By H. Walter, J . M. Naidu, Heidi Danker-Hopfe, M. de Beek, Margret Harms, B. V. Babu, Yasmin and S. Sachi Devi

With 1 figure and 5 tables in the text

Summary: A total of n = 769 unrelated male and female individuals from eight endogamous caste (Brahmin, Kapu, Yadava, Relli) and tribal (Bagatha, Kotia, Manne Dora, Konda Dora) populations living in various districts of Andhra Pradesh (India) have been typed for haptoglobin (HP) types and transferrin (TF), group specific component (GC) and u 1 -antitrypsin (PI) subtypes. The genetic heterogeneity among these population groups is considerable. This can be explained by lacking or at least only minimal gene flow among these caste and tribal groups, by which differences in their genetic profiles caused by locally acting genetic differentiation factors such as drift could be preserved.

Zusammenfassung: An insgesamt n = 769 nicht verwandten männlichen und weiblichen Individuen acht endogamer Kastenbevölkerungen (Brahmin, Kapu, Yadava, Relli) bzw. Stammesbevölkerungen (Bagatha, Kotia, Manne Dora, Konda Dora) aus verschiedenen Distrikten von Andhra Pradesh (Indien) wurden die Haptoglobin-Gruppen (HP) sowie die Subtypen des Transferrins (TF), der gruppenspezifischen Komponente (GC) und des u 1 -Antitrypsins (PI) untersucht. Die genetische Heterogenität zwischen diesen Populations­gruppen ist beträchtlich. Das kann mit fehlenden oder doch nur geringem Genfluß zwischen ihnen erklärt werden, wodurch genetische Unterschiede, hervorgerufen durch lokal wirkende genetische Differenzierungsfaktoren, wie z .B . Drift, erhalten bleiben konnten.

Introduction

In the last few decades many population studies concerning the distribution of genetic markers have been conducted in Andhra Pradesh, which were reviewed and critically discussed by BttASIN, WALTER & DANKER-HOPFE ( 1 992), and by WALTER, DANKER-HOPFE & BttASIN ( 1 99 1 ), respectively. Though all these studies show a considerable variability in the distribution of genetic markers in this part of India, which is closely associated with the ethnic structure of Andhra Pradesh, we are far from being able to understand this genetic variability in detail. In order to contribute to the knowledge on the genetic composition of various caste and tribal populations living in this region we present here the results of HP typing and TF, GC and PI subtyping on eight endogamous Andhra caste and tribal groups. The results will be furthermore discussed in regard of the possible reasons of intergroup differences in allele frequencies.

0044-3 14X/93/0079-0355 $ 2.75 © 1 993 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, D-701 76 Stuttgart DOI: 10.1127/zma/79/1992/355