Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms of a west Algerian population (Oran region)

Mitochondrial DNA codes for enzymes involved in the cellular energetic path way. The polymorphism of this genome has been extensively analyzed for dise ase associations, but can also be used to characterize anthropological dist ances between populations. This study presents the results of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation for a population sample of 50 unrelated ind ividuals originating from western Algeria. The samples were studied with th e recently developed long PCR technique followed by RFLP analysis using six restriction endonucleases: HpaI, BamHI, HaeII, MspI, AvaII and HincII. One new morph for HpaI (named HpaI-9(Alg)) was detected, and was found to be d erived from the combination of the already known morphs 3 and 4. mtDNA rest riction endonuclease fragment patterns were analyzed for potential site gai n or loss and classified into 18 mtDNA types by the sequence-comparison met hod. Three mtDNA types (97(Alg); 2-1-7-1-1, 98(Alg); 2-1-1-8-37 and 99(Alg) ; 9(Alg)-1-1-1-3) were detected for the first time. Another mtDNA marker - the presence of the 9 bp deletion in the COII/tRNA(Lys) region - was also s tudied in the Algerian sample. No deletions were observed. Our results indi cate that the Algerians are genetically related to the Israeli-Arab populat ion, with certain characteristics found in southern Europeans and others fo und in sub-Saharan Africans. (C) 1999 Editions scientifiques et medicales E lsevier SAS.