Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Nigeria is peopled by ethnically and linguistically diverse populations of which little were known until the last few millennial. The absence of major natural geographical barrier increases the possibility of the populations being affected by the same demographic events. The aim of this thesis was to ascertain the genetic variations and demographics in five major Nigerian populations using Y-markers. This was done by determining the genetic structures of the Afro-asiatic speaking Hausa (n=78) of Northern Nigeria and the Niger Congo speaking populations of Igbo (n=119), Yoruba (n=238), Bini (n=13) and Ijaw (n=15) of Southern Nigeria all spread over 22 geographical origins and four (North, South east, south west and South south) geographical regions. They were compared with more than 2000 individuals from 46 populations of 20 other African and Middle Eastern countries, in published literature. The Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) recommended Y-Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) and nine Y-Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) haplogroups were typed with multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLP) and High Resolution Melting (HRM). Summary statistics and measures of diversity were determined. Population structure was assessed with Population Pairwise Differences, hierarchical Analysis of Molecular Variance, Multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis plots. Mantel’s test was used to assess the correlation of genetic distances with geographic distances. Demographic inferences were assessed with lineage based Network reconstruction, Spatial autocorrelation plots, effective migrants per population and both Inter and Intra-lineages Times to the Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA). The patterns of diversity of the Y-markers showed a North-South gradient and a notable sub-structure among the Hausa populations. The Niger-Congo speakers displayed rare presence of haplogroups R and E1b1b but a preponderance of E1b1a7. Overall, the Y markers showed high diversities and significant genetic sub-structure within the Hausa populations of Nigeria with stronger linguistic than geographical bias. The demographic evaluations gave credence for genetic validation of both historical records and archeological findings among these Nigerian populations. These populations showed stronger affiliations with other sub-Saharan African populations rather than with North African or Middle Eastern populations, lacking evidence for the Middle Eastern origins of the male founders of these populations. Finally, the contribution of these Nigerian dataset would greatly enhance the Africa meta-population on the YHRD with more than 274 new haplotypes of forensic estimation significance.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A chegada dos primeiros habitantes há cerca de 15.000 anos e de colonos portugueses e escravos africanos, desde o século 15, em sucessivas migrações na América do Sul, levaram à formação de populações miscigenadas com raízes consideravelmente diversificadas. É notável a heterogeneidade populacional decorrente dessas migrações e do processo de amalgamento de indígenas a partir dos contatos entre os diferentes grupos étnicos, iniciados com a colonização da América pelos europeus. A despeito da elevada miscigenação, ainda se pode encontrar no Brasil populações que, majoritariamente, mantém a identidade genética dos seus ancestrais mais remotos. O objetivo desse estudo foi caracterizar a ancestralidade da população de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Amazonas, com fortes traços fenotípicos ameríndios, e da tribo indígena Terena de Mato Grosso do Sul. Para isto, foram estudados marcadores uniparentais paternos ligados à região não recombinante do cromossomo Y e maternos presentes na região controle do DNA mitocondrial (mtDNA). Em relação à herança paterna, foram genotipados 31 indivíduos de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, sendo que os Terena já haviam sido estudados sob este aspecto. Quanto ao mtDNA, foram estudados 76 indivíduos de ambos os sexos e 51 Indivíduos do sexo masculino de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro e dos Terena, respectivamente. A análise de marcadores Y-SNPs possibilitou a caracterização de 55% dos cromossomos Y dos indivíduos de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro como pertencentes ao haplogrupo Q1a3a*, característico de ameríndio. Através do mtDNA, foi verificado que o haplogrupo A é o mais frequente nas duas populações, com percentuais de 34% e 42% em Santa Isabel do Rio Negro e na tribo Terena, respectivamente, observando-se no tocante à ancestralidade materna a não ocorrência de diferenciação genética significativa entre as duas populações. Por outro lado, a análise do cromossomo Y revelou a ocorrência de distância genética significativa entre elas, o que pode ser resultante da diferença entre os tamanhos das amostras populacionais ou refletir diferenças entre rotas migratórias dos ameríndios anteriormente à colonização. Os resultados mostram ainda que os genomas mitocondriais autóctones foram melhor preservados, e que novos haplogrupos do cromossomo Y foram introduzidos recentemente na população ameríndia. É, portanto, possível concluir que a população de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro e a tribo indígena Terena apresentam um significativo grau de conservação da ancestralidade ameríndia, apesar do longo histórico de contato com europeus e africanos, os outros povos formadores da população brasileira. / The arrival of the first inhabitants approximately 15.000 years ago and Portuguese settlers and Africans slaves since the 15th century in successive migrations in South America, lead to the formation of a mixed population with considerable diverse background. It is remarkable that population heterogeneity derives from this migrations and from the indigenous amalgamation process after contacts between different ethnic groups, started with Americas colonization by Europeans. Despite of the high genetic heterogeneity, populations that majority keep the genetic identity from their most remote ancestors can still be found in Brazil. The purpose of this research was characterizing the ancestry of the population of Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Amazonas, with strong Amerindian phenotypic features, and of the indigenous tribe Terena, from Mato Grosso do Sul. We studied paternal uniparental markers linked to no-recombinant region of Y chromosome and maternal markers present in the control region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Thirty one individuals from Santa Isabel do Rio Negro were genotyped for paternal inheritance. Genotype information of paternal markers from the Terena tribe was already available from a previously study. MtDNA markers were studied in 76 individuals from Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, both male and female, and in 51 male individuals from Terena tribe. Analysis of Y-SNPs markers allowed characterization of Q1a3a* haplogroup, typical of Amerindian, in 55% of Y chromosomes from individuals of Santa Isabel do Rio Negro . By mtDNA markers this study established that haplogroup A is the most common in both populations, occuring in 34% of individuals from Santa Isabel do Rio Negro and 42% of individuals from the Terena tribe. This observation suggests that regarding maternal ancestry, there is no occurrence of significant genetic differentiation among the two populations. On the other hand, Y chromosome analysis revealed occurrence of significant genetic distance between this populations, which can be a result of the difference among populations sample sizes, or can reflect differences between Amerindians migratory routes previously to colonization. The result also shows that autoctones mitochondrial genomes were better preserved, and new Y chromosome haplogroups were introduced recently in Amerindian population. Therefore, it is, possible to conclude that Santa Isabel do Rio Negro population and Terena indigenous tribe show significant degree of Amerindian ancestry conservation, despite of the long historic contact with European and African, the others people formers the Brazilian population.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A chegada dos primeiros habitantes há cerca de 15.000 anos e de colonos portugueses e escravos africanos, desde o século 15, em sucessivas migrações na América do Sul, levaram à formação de populações miscigenadas com raízes consideravelmente diversificadas. É notável a heterogeneidade populacional decorrente dessas migrações e do processo de amalgamento de indígenas a partir dos contatos entre os diferentes grupos étnicos, iniciados com a colonização da América pelos europeus. A despeito da elevada miscigenação, ainda se pode encontrar no Brasil populações que, majoritariamente, mantém a identidade genética dos seus ancestrais mais remotos. O objetivo desse estudo foi caracterizar a ancestralidade da população de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Amazonas, com fortes traços fenotípicos ameríndios, e da tribo indígena Terena de Mato Grosso do Sul. Para isto, foram estudados marcadores uniparentais paternos ligados à região não recombinante do cromossomo Y e maternos presentes na região controle do DNA mitocondrial (mtDNA). Em relação à herança paterna, foram genotipados 31 indivíduos de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, sendo que os Terena já haviam sido estudados sob este aspecto. Quanto ao mtDNA, foram estudados 76 indivíduos de ambos os sexos e 51 Indivíduos do sexo masculino de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro e dos Terena, respectivamente. A análise de marcadores Y-SNPs possibilitou a caracterização de 55% dos cromossomos Y dos indivíduos de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro como pertencentes ao haplogrupo Q1a3a*, característico de ameríndio. Através do mtDNA, foi verificado que o haplogrupo A é o mais frequente nas duas populações, com percentuais de 34% e 42% em Santa Isabel do Rio Negro e na tribo Terena, respectivamente, observando-se no tocante à ancestralidade materna a não ocorrência de diferenciação genética significativa entre as duas populações. Por outro lado, a análise do cromossomo Y revelou a ocorrência de distância genética significativa entre elas, o que pode ser resultante da diferença entre os tamanhos das amostras populacionais ou refletir diferenças entre rotas migratórias dos ameríndios anteriormente à colonização. Os resultados mostram ainda que os genomas mitocondriais autóctones foram melhor preservados, e que novos haplogrupos do cromossomo Y foram introduzidos recentemente na população ameríndia. É, portanto, possível concluir que a população de Santa Isabel do Rio Negro e a tribo indígena Terena apresentam um significativo grau de conservação da ancestralidade ameríndia, apesar do longo histórico de contato com europeus e africanos, os outros povos formadores da população brasileira. / The arrival of the first inhabitants approximately 15.000 years ago and Portuguese settlers and Africans slaves since the 15th century in successive migrations in South America, lead to the formation of a mixed population with considerable diverse background. It is remarkable that population heterogeneity derives from this migrations and from the indigenous amalgamation process after contacts between different ethnic groups, started with Americas colonization by Europeans. Despite of the high genetic heterogeneity, populations that majority keep the genetic identity from their most remote ancestors can still be found in Brazil. The purpose of this research was characterizing the ancestry of the population of Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Amazonas, with strong Amerindian phenotypic features, and of the indigenous tribe Terena, from Mato Grosso do Sul. We studied paternal uniparental markers linked to no-recombinant region of Y chromosome and maternal markers present in the control region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Thirty one individuals from Santa Isabel do Rio Negro were genotyped for paternal inheritance. Genotype information of paternal markers from the Terena tribe was already available from a previously study. MtDNA markers were studied in 76 individuals from Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, both male and female, and in 51 male individuals from Terena tribe. Analysis of Y-SNPs markers allowed characterization of Q1a3a* haplogroup, typical of Amerindian, in 55% of Y chromosomes from individuals of Santa Isabel do Rio Negro . By mtDNA markers this study established that haplogroup A is the most common in both populations, occuring in 34% of individuals from Santa Isabel do Rio Negro and 42% of individuals from the Terena tribe. This observation suggests that regarding maternal ancestry, there is no occurrence of significant genetic differentiation among the two populations. On the other hand, Y chromosome analysis revealed occurrence of significant genetic distance between this populations, which can be a result of the difference among populations sample sizes, or can reflect differences between Amerindians migratory routes previously to colonization. The result also shows that autoctones mitochondrial genomes were better preserved, and new Y chromosome haplogroups were introduced recently in Amerindian population. Therefore, it is, possible to conclude that Santa Isabel do Rio Negro population and Terena indigenous tribe show significant degree of Amerindian ancestry conservation, despite of the long historic contact with European and African, the others people formers the Brazilian population.