Human diversity in Jordan: polymorphic Alu insertions in general Jordanian and Bedouin groups.
Jordan, located in the Levant region, is an area crucial for the investigation of human migration between Africa and Eurasia. However, the genetic history of Jordanians has yet to be clarified, including the origin of the Bedouins today resident in Jordan. Here, we provide new genetic data on autosomal independent markers in two Jordanian population samples (Bedouins and the general population) to begin to examine the genetic diversity inside this country and to provide new information about the genetic position of these populations in the context of the Mediterranean and Middle East area. The markers analyzed were 18 Alu polymorphic insertions characterized by their identity by descent, known ancestral state (lack of insertion), and apparent selective neutrality. The results indicate significant genetic diffferences between Bedouins and general Jordanians (p = 0.038). Whereas Bedouins show a close genetic proximity to North Africans, general Jordanians appear genetically more similar to other Middle East populations. In general, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that Bedouins had an important role in the peopling of Jordan and constitute the original substrate of the current population. However, migration into Jordan in recent years likely has contributed to the diversity among current Jordanian population groups.
Department of Animal Biology-Anthropology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Daniela
D
Zanetti
Department of Biological Sciences, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan.
May
M
Sadiq
Department of Animal Biology-Anthropology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Robert
R
Carreras-Torres
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan, and Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Taibah University, Saudi Arabia.
Omar
O
Khabour
Department of Biological Sciences, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan.
Almuthanna
A
Alkaraki
Department of Animal Biology-Anthropology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Esther
E
Esteban
Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Marc
M
Via
Department of Animal Biology-Anthropology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Pedro
P
Moral
D000352:Africa, Northern; D020087:Alu Elements; D018912:Arabs / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D040961:Genetic Drift; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D008390:Markov Chains; D008877:Middle East; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D005819:Genetic Markers