title: An investigation of the genetic diversity of the Kerkennah islands and Mahdia (Tunisia) using biparental markers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Kerkennah is one of the main inhabited islands of Tunisia. The origin of the population of Kerkennah has not been established and no well-defined ethnic groups have been identified nor are genetic studies available. Mahdia, a Tunisian coastal city, has a long history dating back to ancient times.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To discover the genetic diversity of the two studied populations and analyse their relationships with other Mediterranean populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven human-specific Alu insertion polymorphisms were typed in 99 individuals born in Kerkennah and Mahdia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A neighbour-joining tree and MDS multidimensional scaling analysis showed that these Tunisian populations are scattered amongst North African and Europeans populations, indicating their high genetic diversity and mosaic aspect. The important finding of this study was the proximity of Kerkennah to Moroccans. Hence, the actual gene pool of this insular population may descend from the ancestral population known to be of Moroccan origin. Concerning Mahdia, its closeness to Eurasian populations and some Tunisian groups reflected a high Eurasian genetic component for North African populations and confirmed their heterogeneity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The strategic location of the two studied populations and their fortifications have allowed them to play a leading role in the Mediterranean basin.
authors: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University El Manar , 2092 Tunis , Tunisia and.
authors: Sabeh
authors: S
authors: Frigi
authors: Amel Ben Ammar
authors: AB
authors: El Gaaied
authors: Lotfi
authors: L
authors: Cherni
mesh_terms: D020087:Alu Elements; D018912:Arabs; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers