title: The Hmong Diaspora: preserved South-East Asian genetic ancestry in French Guianese Asians.
abstract: The Hmong Diaspora is one of the widest modern human migrations. Mainly localised in South-East Asia, the United States of America, and metropolitan France, a small community has also settled the Amazonian forest of French Guiana. We have biologically analysed 62 individuals of this unique Guianese population through three complementary genetic markers: mitochondrial DNA (HVS-I/II and coding region SNPs), Y-chromosome (SNPs and STRs), and the Gm allotypic system. All genetic systems showed a high conservation of the Asian gene pool (Asian ancestry: mtDNA=100.0%; NRY=99.1%; Gm=96.6%), without a trace of founder effect. When compared across various Asian populations, the highest correlations were observed with Hmong-Mien groups still living in South-East Asia (Fst<0.05; P-value<0.05). Despite a long history punctuated by exodus, the French Guianese Hmong have maintained their original genetic diversity.
authors.affiliation: UMR 5288 CNRS, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse (AMIS), Université Paul-Sabatier Toulouse III, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brucato
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazières
authors.forename: Evelyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guitard
authors.forename: Pierre-Henri
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Giscard
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bois
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Larrouy
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dugoujon
mesh_terms: D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D041321:Chromosomes, Human, X / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics; D005616:French Guiana; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005788:Gene Pool; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D063426:Human Migration; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011153:Population; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G