title: Reconstructing history: the Amazonian Mura Indians.
abstract: We studied demographic characteristics of two Mura Indian villages. Two-hundred six inhabitants of these villages and another population were tested in relation to 30 blood and 4 saliva genetic systems. These groups exhibit high mobility and exogamy rates and high fertility but relatively low mortality and variance in number of children per woman. Hb J Oxford and albumin Maku were observed, and they show high prevalences of GPT*1 and RH*R1 but low of HP*1 compared to other South American Indians. Four electrophoretic saliva systems are reported here for the first time in a predominantly Amerindian group. The amount of polymorphism was more limited than that found in Caucasian, black, and Oriental populations. The Mura are still predominantly Indian (82%) but have African (11%) and Caucasoid (7%) admixture. Using these values, the putative ancestral Mura gene frequencies were assessed. Problems related to quantitative estimations of admixture and the factors that influence the process are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Salzano
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Callegari-Jacques
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mestriner
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Weimer
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schüler
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hutz
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Freitas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American / Q000235:genetics*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D009026:Mortality; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers