BF and C3 genetic polymorphisms in Kaingang Indians from southern Brazil

Abstract

The distribution of C3 and BF variants was determined in a sample of 239 Kaingang Indians. The corresponding gene frequencies were as follows: BF*S = 0.9393, BF*F = 0.0356, BF*S05 = 0.0251, C3*S = 0.9769, C3*F = 0.0231. The presence of the BF*S05 allele, which has previously been found only in a Brazilian population, suggests that this allele originated in Amerindians. The comparatively low degree of polymorphism with high frequencies of BF*S and C3*S is in accordance with the relatedness of the Kaingang with other Amerindians, Eskimos and Asian populations.