Taino and African maternal heritage in the Greater Antilles

Gene Volume 637, 30 December 2017, Pages 33-40 Research paper Author links open overlay panelAreejBukharibJavier RodriguezLuiscMiguel A.Alfonso-SanchezdRalphGarcia-BertrandaRene J.Herreraa Show more https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2017.09.004Get rights and content Highlights • The mtDNA compositions of the Greater Antilles are compared. • mtDNA HVRI and HVRII regions as well as coding diagnostic sites were assessed. • Taino mtDNA is prominent in the ex-Spanish but not in the ex-French and ex-English colonies. • Frequencies of specific African haplogroups vary considerably among the five island nations. • Taino mtDNA in the ex-Spanish colonies may result from different social norms regarding mixed marriages. Abstract Notwithstanding the general interest and the geopolitical importance of the island countries in the Greater Antilles, little is known about the specific ancestral Native American and African populations that settled them. In an effort to alleviate this lacuna of information on the genetic constituents of the Greater Antilles, we comprehensively compared the mtDNA compositions of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. To accomplish this, the mtDNA HVRI and HVRII regions, as well as coding diagnostic sites, were assessed in the Haitian general population and compared to data from reference populations. The Taino maternal DNA is prominent in the ex-Spanish colonies (61.3%–22.0%) while it is basically non-existent in the ex-French and ex-English colonies of Haiti (0.0%) and Jamaica (0.5%), respectively. The most abundant Native American mtDNA haplogroups in the Greater Antilles are A2, B2 and C1. The African mtDNA component is almost fixed in Haiti (98.2%) and Jamaica (98.5%), and the frequencies of specific African haplogroups vary considerably among the five island nations. The strong persistence of Taino mtDNA in the ex-Spanish colonies (and especially in Puerto Rico), and its absence in the French and English excolonies is likely the result of different social norms regarding mixed marriages with Taino women during the early years after the first contact with Europeans. In addition, this article reports on the results of an integrative approach based on mtDNA analysis and demographic data that tests the hypothesis of a southward shift in raiding zones along the African west coast during the period encompassing the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Graphical abstract Pie diagram illustrating distribution of Taino and African mtDNA haplogroups. • Upper panel exhibits the differential distribution of African haplogroups in the Greater Antilles. • Lower panel exhibits the differential distribution of Taino, African and European mtDNA in the Greater Antilles. • In the pies only the 12 most abundant African haplogroups are indicated. The percentages on the pies indicate the frequencies based on the total number of African haplogroups in the islands. Image 1 Download high-res image (155KB)Download full-size image Abbreviations PCRpolymerase chain reactionmtDNAmitochondrial DNAHVRI and HVRIIhypervariable region I and IIRFLPrestriction fragment length polymorphismMJmedian-joiningCAcomponent analysis Keywords mtDNATainoAfricaTrans-Atlantic Slave Trade