STUDY OF ENZYME POLYMORPHISM AND HEMOGLOBIN PATTERNS AMONGST 16 TRIBAL POPULATIONS OF CENTRAL INDIA (ORISSA, MADHYA-PRADESH, AND MAHARASHTRA)

A survey was conducted to study the genetic differentiation among 16 t ribal groups of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra belonging to d ifferent ethnic and linguistic affiliations. Sixteen hundred and fifte en blood samples from both sexes were tested for 5 red cell enzyme sys tems: ACP, ESD, PGD, GLO, LDH, and Hb pattern. Three hundred and ninet een male individuals were tested for G-6-PD enzyme deficiency. The dis tribution of the enzyme markers and Hb show a range of variation which are more or less within the Indian range. Cases of homozygous HbSS we re detected in all the tribes except 3 tribes in Orissa. Two cases of LDH Cal-1 homozygote were found in two Dravidian language speaking Ori ssa tribes. The chi2-values for testing the homogeneity of gene freque ncies indicate a non-significant heterogeneity for all alleles in the individual system. Within population diversity seems to be larger than between population diversity. The degree of over all genetic differen tiation as measured by G(ST) value is 0.0154+/-0.0071.