Ancient mitochondrial genome diversity in South America: Contributions from Quebrada del Toro, Northwestern Argentina.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to enhance our understanding of the population history in South America, specifically Northwestern Argentina, by analyzing complete ancient mitogenomes of individuals from the Ojo de Agua archeological site (970 BP) in Quebrada del Toro (Salta, Argentina).

Materials And Methods: We analyzed teeth from four individuals from the site Ojo de Agua (970 ± 60 BP), located in Quebrada del Toro (Andean region of Northwestern Argentina). DNA extracts were converted to double-stranded DNA libraries and indexed using unique dual-indexing primer combinations.

Applicability of the IrisPlex system for eye color prediction in an admixed population from Argentina.

Eye color prediction based on an individual's genetic information is of interest in the field of forensic genetics. In recent years, researchers have studied different genes and markers associated with this externally visible characteristic and have developed methods for its prediction. The IrisPlex represents a validated tool for homogeneous populations, though its applicability in populations of mixed ancestry is limited, mainly regarding the prediction of intermediate eye colors.

Distribution of maternal lineages in hunter-gatherer societies of the southern coast of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

Objectives: The aim of this work is to explore the maternal genetic diversity of hunter-gatherers of the southern Tierra del Fuego, specifically the north coast of Beagle Channel, the Península Mitre, and Isla de los Estados through ancient mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Materials And Methods: The hypervariable regions 1 and 2 of the mitochondrial genome of five individuals from the north coast of Beagle Channel, six individuals from Península Mitre, and one individual from Isla de los Estados were analyzed. Through diversity statistics, Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA), and Median Joining networks analyses, maternal relationships in the region were evaluated and phylogenetic similarities between ancient and contemporary populations of Tierra del Fuego were determined.

Fine-scale genomic analyses of admixed individuals reveal unrecognized genetic ancestry components in Argentina.

Similarly to other populations across the Americas, Argentinean populations trace back their genetic ancestry into African, European and Native American ancestors, reflecting a complex demographic history with multiple migration and admixture events in pre- and post-colonial times. However, little is known about the sub-continental origins of these three main ancestries. We present new high-throughput genotyping data for 87 admixed individuals across Argentina.

First analysis of mitochondrial lineages from the eastern Pampa-Patagonia transition during the final late Holocene.

Objective: Studies on population genetics have become highly relevant for understanding the evolutionary history of human settlement in southern South America. The eastern Pampa-Patagonia transition is an area that stands out due to its complex population dynamics, especially during the last about 1,000 years BP. The aim of this work is to characterize the maternal lineages of individuals buried in the Paso Alsina 1 archaeological site (ca.

Mitochondrial DNA Diversity and Evolutionary History of Native Human Populations of Argentinean Northwest Patagonia.

The genetic composition of Amerindian descendants from Patagonia has long been a focus of interest, although the information available is still scarce for many geographic areas. Here, we report the first analysis of the variation in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region for an area of northwestern Patagonia, the North of Neuquén, with the aim of studying the processes and historical events that modeled the evolutionary history of these human groups. We analyzed 113 individuals from two localities of northern Neuquén, along with 6 from southern Neuquén and 223 previously published mtDNA sequences from neighboring areas in Argentina and Chile.

Ancient DNA reveals temporal population structure within the South-Central Andes area.

Objectives: The main aim of this work was to contribute to the knowledge of pre-Hispanic genetic variation and population structure among the South-central Andes Area by studying individuals from Quebrada de Humahuaca, North-western (NW) Argentina.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed 15 autosomal STRs in 19 individuals from several archaeological sites in Quebrada de Humahuaca, belonging to the Regional Developments Period (900-1430 AD). Compiling autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y-chromosome data, we evaluated population structure and differentiation among eight South-central Andean groups from the current territories of NW Argentina and Peru.

Pre-Hispanic Mortuary Practices in Quebrada de Humahuaca (North-Western Argentina): Genetic Relatedness among Individuals Buried in the Same Grave.

Almost all pre-Hispanic societies from Quebrada de Humahuaca (north-western Argentina) buried their defuncts in domestic areas, demonstrating the importance of death and its daily presence among the living. Presumably, the collective graves contained related individuals, a hypothesis that can be tested through the study of ancient DNA. This study analyzes autosomal and uniparental genetic markers in individuals from two archaeological sites in Quebrada de Humahuaca occupied during the Late Formative (1450-1050 BP) and Regional Developments I (1050-700 BP) periods.

Population Genetics of Franciscana Dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei): Introducing a New Population from the Southern Edge of Their Distribution.

Due to anthropogenic factors, the franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, is the most threatened small cetacean on the Atlantic coast of South America. Four Franciscana Management Areas have been proposed: Espiritu Santo to Rio de Janeiro (FMA I), São Paulo to Santa Catarina (FMA II), Rio Grande do Sul to Uruguay (FMA III), and Argentina (FMA IV). Further genetic studies distinguished additional populations within these FMAs.

Heterogeneity in genetic admixture across different regions of Argentina.

The population of Argentina is the result of the intermixing between several groups, including Indigenous American, European and African populations. Despite the commonly held idea that the population of Argentina is of mostly European origin, multiple studies have shown that this process of admixture had an impact in the entire Argentine population. In the present study we characterized the distribution of Indigenous American, European and African ancestry among individuals from different regions of Argentina and evaluated the level of discrepancy between self-reported grandparental origin and genetic ancestry estimates.

Paleogenetical study of pre-Columbian samples from Pampa Grande (Salta, Argentina).

Ancient DNA recovered from 21 individuals excavated from burial sites in the Pampa Grande (PG) region (Salta province) of North-Western Argentina (NWA) was analyzed using various genetic markers (mitochondrial DNA, autosomal STRs, and Y chromosomal STRs). The results were compared to ancient and modern DNA from various populations in the Andean and North Argentinean regions, with the aim of establishing their relationships with PG. The mitochondrial haplogroup frequencies described (11% A, 47% B, and 42% D) presented values comparable to those found for the ancient Andean populations from Peru and San Pedro de Atacama.

[Gene mixture in a population sample from Buenos Aires City].

The aim of this study is to estimate the gene admixture in the population of Buenos Aires City from samples of blood donors, which come from a public health centre (Hospital de Clínicas). These studies were performed on 218 unrelated people, who donated blood during the year 2002. Eight erythrocyte genetic systems and GM/KM allotypes were analysed.

African ancestry of the population of Buenos Aires.

The population of Argentina today does not have a "visible" black African component. However, censuses conducted during most of the 19th century registered up to 30% of individuals of African origin living in Buenos Aires city. What has happened to this African influence? Have all individuals of African origin died, as lay people believe? Or is it possible that admixture with the European immigrants made the African influence "invisible?" We investigated the African contribution to the genetic pool of the population of Buenos Aires, Argentina, typing 12 unlinked autosomal DNA markers in a sample of 90 individuals.