HLA class II allele distribution in the Gypsy community of Andalusia, southern Spain

We have studied the allele distribution of DRB1, DQB1 and DPB1 loci in 80 u nrelated Gypsies living in different eastern areas of the Andalusian provin ce of Granada (southern Spain), The frequency distribution of HLA class II alleles and the genetic distance of Andalusian Gypsies from several Caucasi an populations indicate a marked similarity - but not total - of the former with the Gypsy population previously studied in Madrid (central Spain), wh ich suggests that both groups migrated together out of India. In terms of g enetic distance, both Gypsy groups are more like the Czech Gypsies and the Northern Indian groups than their neighbouring Caucasian non-Gypsy populati ons. In summary our data support the hypothesis of a common anthropological origin of all three European Gypsy groups, which probably split up after t heir arrival in Europe.