Analysis of the genetic structure of Santa Cruz province and it comparison with the other Southern Patagonian provinces of Argentina

CANO H; CAPUTO M; GINART SANTIAGO; CORACH D; A. SALA

FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL-GENETICS

ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 vol. 5 p. 114 - 115

1872-4973

Santa Cruz is the southernmost Patagonian province of Argentina. Its demographic history is complex andchanging over time. Aiming to investigate the overall genetic features of this province a set of markersroutinely used in forensic casework were analyzed. The study involved 645 from Santa Cruz (N = 145),Chubut (N = 102), Rio Negro (N = 99), Buenos Aires (N = 93) and potentially parental population samplesfrom CEPH panel (N = 206). We analyzed 15 autosomal STRs, 23 Y-STRs and 6 Y-SNPs. Autosomal STRsdisplayed statistically significant genetic distances between Santa Cruz and Chubut, Rio Negro andBuenos Aires populations. Native American Y-specific haplogroup Q1a3a was present in around 15% ofthe Santa Cruz males and the haplogroup R1b was the most frequent European hg (45%). Structureanalysis demonstrated that three ancestral contributors that build to Santa Cruz gene pool wereEuropean (50%), Native American (36%) and African (13%). Genetic characterization of this populationallowed to further increase genetic knowledge of the country, where previous studies have identifiedregional differences associated with the complex demographic process that took place in South America.