title: Genetic signature of the São Miguel Island population (Azores) assessed by 21 microsatellite loci.
abstract: To study the genetic diversity of São Miguel's population we compared 21 microsatellite loci in 204 individuals from São Miguel island and 103 individuals from mainland Portugal. The results show that São Miguel and mainland Portugal populations have an average gene diversity of 0.767 and 0.765, respectively. Allele frequencies of all markers are comparable to other European populations. This observation is corroborated by the genetic relationships analysis based on the NJ tree and principal component, where São Miguel is closely related to mainland Portugal. Overall, the data suggests that São Miguel does not show population structure and is outbred with high genetic diversity. Moreover, the characterization here described is crucial to predict and explain genotypes implicated in genetic diseases in the Azorean population.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Genetics and Pathology Unit, Hospital of Divino Espírito Santo, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal.
authors.forename: Claudia C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Branco
authors.forename: Paula R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: Astrid M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mota-Vieira
mesh_terms: D001394:Azores / Q000453:epidemiology; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006801:Humans; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011174:Portugal / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics