Study of 47 DNA markers in five populations from four continents

Abstract

Forty seven DNA markers from 30 genes or chromosomal regions were investigated in five populations (Biaka and Mbuti Pygmies, Melanesians, Chinese and Caucasoids). Both the variation between populations (measured by FST) and between markers is highly significant. The average heterozygosity for all markers is .284 and the average FST is .145. There was no significant difference in the FST values, or in the average heterozygosity between known genes and random segments. The FST distance between all populations considered in pairs, and averaged over all loci favours a primary split between Eurasia and Africa, but this conclusion is neither statistically significant nor uncomplicated. Condensing the 47 markers into 30 "genes" where 10 were treated as haplotypes, it was found that the haplotypes always give higher FST's than the separate markers, although similar conclusions can be drawn.