MtDNA Analysis of Mocoví Population, Southern most Guaycurú Speakers in South America

ANDREA SALA; MARÍA CONSUELO MARTI; CECILIA BOBILLO; DANIEL CORACH

Innsbruck

Congreso; DNA in Forensics 2012. "DNA in Forensics: Exploring the Phylogenies"; 2012

Y User and EMPOP

Mocoví is the south most ethnicity, linguistically associated to Pilagá, Toba and Wichi tribes, representing the Mataco-Guaycurú speakers group. Mocoví inhabit Chaco and Santa Fe provinces and amounts over 15.000 people. Aiming to increase the knowledge of Guaycurú speakers, Mocoví individuals (N= 27) and additional Tobas (N= 47) from Santa Fe province were analyzed by means mitochondrial DNA Control Region sequencing under EMPOP guidelines. The results were compared with previously obtained sequence data of three ethnic groups that inhabit the area of Argentinean Gran Chaco: Pilagá (N=55, from Formosa province), Toba (N=64), from Formosa and Chaco provinces and Wichi (N= 48) from Formosa. The entire mtDNA Control Region (16024 to 576) was sequenced in a total of 241 unrelated individuals. Sequencing strategy included the use of at least six primers for each sample in order to obtain unambiguous sequences. The four Native American haplogroups (Hgs) were present in these groups, with diverse frequencies. Hgs B2 and D (subhaplogroups D1 and D4g) are well represented in Pilagá, Toba and Wichi. Mocoví showed high frequency in HgA (52%) meanwhile the frequency of HgD is very low (7%). Haplogroup C is absent in Tobas and Wichi, whereas is present in Pilagá and Mocoví with a frequency around of 17%. The haplotype diversity in Mocoví sample was higher than the rest of the groups and highest genetic distances were observed when this group was compared with Toba, Pilagá and Wichi. Genetic distances were all significant, except between Toba´s groups.  This work allowed us to analyze the spread of mitochondrial lineages from Mataco-Guaycurú speakers and to find the relationship between the individuals that inhabit nowadays the Argentinean Gran Chaco.