Patrilineal perspective on the Austronesian diffusion in Mainland Southeast Asia.

The Cham people are the major Austronesian speakers of Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) and the reconstruction of the Cham population history can provide insights into their diffusion. In this study, we analyzed non-recombining region of the Y chromosome markers of 177 unrelated males from four populations in MSEA, including 59 Cham, 76 Kinh, 25 Lao, and 17 Thai individuals. Incorporating published data from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), our results indicated that, in general, the Chams are an indigenous Southeast Asian population.

Tracing the Austronesian footprint in Mainland Southeast Asia: a perspective from mitochondrial DNA.

As the relic of the ancient Champa Kingdom, the Cham people represent the major Austronesian speakers in Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) and their origin is evidently associated with the Austronesian diffusion in MSEA. Hitherto, hypotheses stemming mainly from linguistic and cultural viewpoints on the origin of the Cham people remain a welter of controversies. Among the points of dissension is the muddled issue of whether the Cham people arose from demic or cultural diffusion from the Austronesians.

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism in the Vietnamese population.

The mitochondrial DNA variation was screened in a sample of 50 unrelated individuals of the Vietnamese population originating from Hanoi. A combination of long and standard PCR and restriction endonuclease digests with the enzymes HpaI, BamHI, HaeII, MspI, AvaII and HincII were used to reveal mtDNA variation. Twenty enzyme morphs were detected, three of which (HaeII-13Viet, MspI-19Viet and MspI-20Viet) are new and are produced by a single mutational event in already known enzyme morphs.