HLA-B alleles of the Navajo: no evidence for rapid evolution in the Nadene.
New HLA-B locus alleles have been found in South American Amerindian populations but were largely absent in North American Amerindian tribes also descended from this first Paleo-Indian migration. We have now extended these studies to the Navajo, descendants of the second Nadene migration. No new functional alleles were found at the B locus of this tribe. This limited study supports the notion that while new B locus variants are common in South American Amerindians, it is more difficult to find new B locus alleles in North American native peoples. Whether this dichotomy is due to differences in pathogen environment and/or population structures between North and South America remains a subject of speculation.
Garber
T L
TL
Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center, Department of Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
McAdam
S N
SN
Butler
L M
LM
Crocker
P
P
Piekarczyk
M
M
Troup
G M
GM
Milford
E L
EL
Watkins
D I
DI
D000483:Alleles; D005075:Biological Evolution; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000235:genetics*
D015235:HLA-B Antigens