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Temporal evolution of the ABO allele frequencies in the Canary Islands: the impact of the European colonization

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Abstract

The indigenous Canary Islands population suffered a strong cultural and genetic impact when they were colonized by Europeans in the fifteenth century. The molecular analysis of the ABO blood group gene on aboriginal and seventeenth to eighteenth century remains confirms the demographic history of the islands depicted by previous archaeological, anthropological, and genetic studies. ABO allele frequencies clearly related Canarian aborigines with North African Berber populations, its most probable source of origin, and is far related to Iberian and to the current population of the archipelago. The historical sample shows a congruent intermediate position testifying already a strong European influence that would go in augment since then to present times, affecting all the islands with the important exception of La Gomera.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge P. Hernández Carpio and A. González and J. Espino from Servicio de Secuenciación y Genotipado de ADN (SEGAI) for technical assistance. Samples were generously donated by J. Pais, M. Arnay, A. Gámez, J.C. Hernández, J. Velasco, and T. Delgado. This research was supported by grants of the Spain Ministry of Science and Technology BFU2006-04490 to J.M. Larruga, and R. Fregel is supported by a Gobierno de Canarias predoctoral fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, s/n, 38271, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

    Rosa Fregel, Vicente M. Cabrera, Jose M. Larruga & Ana M. González

  2. Genetics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain

    Eva Betancor, Nicolás M. Suárez & Jose Pestano

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  1. Rosa Fregel
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  2. Eva Betancor
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  3. Nicolás M. Suárez
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  4. Vicente M. Cabrera
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  5. Jose Pestano
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  6. Jose M. Larruga
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  7. Ana M. González
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rosa Fregel.

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Supplementary Material 1

Primer sequences for multiplex preamplification, semi-nested reamplification, and multiplex SNaPshot analysis (XLS 18 kb)

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Fregel, R., Betancor, E., Suárez, N.M. et al. Temporal evolution of the ABO allele frequencies in the Canary Islands: the impact of the European colonization. Immunogenetics 61, 603–610 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-009-0393-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-009-0393-8

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