CHARACTERIZATION OF MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA AND Y-CHROMOSOME HAPLOTYPES IN A URUGUAYAN POPULATION OF AFRICAN ANCESTRY

We used a set of informative mtDNA and Y-chromosome-specific markers t o determine the origin of maternal and paternal lineages in a sample o f 41 Uruguayan black individuals, We found that 20 maternal lineages w ere African, 13 were Amerindian, and 5 were Caucasian. In three indivi duals we were unable to determine the ethnic origin of the mtDNA linea ges. Of the 22 males analyzed we found 4 Y chromosomes of African orig in, 5 of Caucasian origin, and 13 of undetermined ancestry, Our result s suggest that mtDNA and Y-chromosome-specific DNA variants may be a u seful tool in determining the level of mtDNA and Y chromosome ethnic i ntrogression in a population of a given ethnic origin.