The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65378

Juan Carlos Martinez-Cruzado, PhD, Biology Department, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, Apartado 1177, Boqueron, PR 00622-1177, 787-851-8957, l_aviles@rumac.uprm.edu

An island-wide representative sample research was undertaken in 2000 to obtain samples of biological tissue to examine the mitochondrial DNA, which is usually inherited from the mother’s female lineage. Since evolutionary biology has already established the geographic origins of the different DNA mutations, it was possible for the investigator to assert the ethnic origins of the maternal line of the individuals of the sample. The results of the research demonstrates that 61% of the population has mitochondrial DNA of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, 27% has mitochondrial DNA from the people of the African region, and 12% has mitochondrial DNA of Caucasian origins. These results challenge most of the assumptions of the ethno-history of Puerto Rico, where the indigenous people were thought to have exterminated early on in the colonization process by diseases, exploitation and military repression. The individual results of the mitochondrial DNA analysis were handed back to the participants, and the interpretations of their results set the foundation on which the following research on racial classification was based.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the use of mitochondrial DNA for tracing ethnic diversity in population studies.
• Identify the maternal ethnic origins of the Puerto Rican population.

Keywords: Ethnic Identity, Genetics

Related Web page: none

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: NONE
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.