title: HLA-B alleles of the Navajo: no evidence for rapid evolution in the Nadene.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center, Department of Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Garber
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: McAdam
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Crocker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piekarczyk
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Troup
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Milford
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Watkins
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D005075:Biological Evolution; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015235:HLA-B Antigens