Ethnic Contributions to the Puerto Rican Mitochondrial Gene Pool

这项研究的目的是估计在波多黎各的不同地理区域的高加索人，撒哈拉以南非洲人和美洲原住民的人类基因库的母亲的贡献。 波多黎各的历史有力地表明，自1508年西班牙殖民化开始以来，不断发生强烈的遗传混合。 遗传混合的特征是性别不对称，其中男性成分通常由高加索人代表，而女性成分则由撒哈拉以南非洲人或美洲土著人代表。 然而，从历史中几乎无法推断出美洲原住民和撒哈拉以南非洲混血夫妇的性平衡，或者每个种族群体内近亲繁殖的程度。 此外，最近的线粒体DNA实验表明，波多黎各地理区域族裔群体的遗传贡献可能被忽视。鉴于波多黎各人所声称的身份危机及其与美国的特殊政治关系，这将特别有意义。 通过对代表波多黎各不同地理区域的640个mtDNA进行单倍群鉴定，将达到这一目的。 通过限制性片段长度多态性（RFLP）鉴定96 - 100% mtDNA的单倍型组。 其余的将通过HV-1区域的DNA测序进行鉴定。 由于单倍型组的高度大陆特异性，将在100%的美洲原住民中确定其单倍型组将被鉴定的那些mtDNA的生物起源，97.1%的撒哈拉以南非洲人和94.6%的高加索人。此外，这项研究将允许在波多黎各大学培训一些本科生-Mayaguez使用了目前分子人类学研究中使用的各种技术。

This research aims to estimate of the maternal contribution of Caucasians, Sub-Saharan Africans and Native Americans to the human gene pool in various geographic regions of Puerto Rico. The history of Puerto Rico strongly suggests that intense genetic admixture has occurred continuously since the Spanish colonization commenced in 1508. The genetic admixture has been characterized by a sexual asymmetry in which the male component is commonly represented by Caucasians while the female component is represented by Sub-Saharan Africans or Native Americans. However, little can be deduced from history about the sexual balance of Native American and Sub-Saharan African mixed couples, or the degree of inbreeding within each ethnic group. Furthermore, recent mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) experiments suggest that aspects of the genetic contribution of ethnic groups among various geographic regions in Puerto Rico may have been overlooked. This will be especially meaningful in light of the claimed identity crisis suffered by Puerto Ricans and by their special political relationship with the United States. The aim will be attained by the haplogroup identification of 640 mtDNAs representative of various geographic regions of Puerto Rico. The haplogroup of 96 to 100% of the mtDNAs will be identified through restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The rest will be identified by DNA sequencing of the HV-1 region. Because of the high continent-specificity of the haplogroups, the biological origin of those mtDNAs whose haplogroup will be identified will be determined in 100% of the Native Americans, 97.1% of the Sub-Saharan Africans and 94.6% of the Caucasians.In addition this research will allow the training of a number of undergraduate students at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in a variety of techniques currently employed in molecular anthropology research.