Peopling of the Americas: ABO Blood Group Haplotypes as an Indicator of Native American Origins and Migration from Siberia

• Main Author: Boyd, Jacob Tyler
• Other Authors: Crawford, Michael H, Mielke, James H, Dean, Bartholomew
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Kansas 2014
• Subjects: Physical anthropology; Genetics; Native American studies; Migration; Native American; Peopling of the Americas; Population Genetics; Siberia; Estrada; aleut; Bering Land Bridge; Chukchi; eskimo*; inuit; Koryak; Alaska; Beringia
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1808/16863; http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:13581

The original peopling of the Americas has been a subject of debate among anthropologists for decades. Many molecular, archaeological and linguistic techniques have been used to assess the location of origin and number of migrations responsible for the variation observed. Two recent publications (Estrada-Mena et al. 2010 and Villanea et al. 2013) proposed a potential ancestral informative marker (AIM) in the ABO blood group region on chromosome 9 that is unique and ubiquitous in Native Americans. The marker is a subtype of the O blood group, identified as O1v542. In this study, three Beringian (Chukchi, Koryak and Aleut) and one central Siberian (Altai) population were analyzed for ABO haplotypes because of their previous connection to the original migrations into the Americas. All four populations possessed individuals with the AIM, marking the first time the O1v542 haplotype has been observed in significant frequencies outside of Native American populations. Within and between population analyses were implemented with the four study populations and thirteen other Native American populations in order to estimate the number and timing of the migrations across the Bering land bridge and into the Americas. The findings support the Beringian Incubation Model (BIM), which proposes the ancestral population entered Beringia and paused there for a substantial amount of time because ice sheets blocked access past Alaska. During the pause, genetic drift produced unique markers, like O1v542. These markers were then transported across the Americas as founding populations moved past the receding ice sheets. The pattern of expansion from the Beringian ancestral population, according to this study's data, supports the three-wave model. The model identifies a west-coast migratory group, an inland migratory group, and a final group that led to northern populations like the Aleut, Inuit and Eskimos. All three groups are clearly seen when looking at ABO haplotype frequencies, but a new wave back into Siberia is also insinuated ...