Abstract
IntroductionBased on historical records suggesting that the ancestry of the Purana (old) population living in the suburbs of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the times of the Sinhalese Kings of the 5th century A.D. (1,450 YBP) and studies reporting that the Purana are biometrically different from the rest of present Sri Lankans and other populations in the world, we investigate the maternally inherited Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Purana population in the suburbs of Sigiriya to better understand genetic affinities of them to present day Sri Lankans. Materials and MethodsForty six Purana inhabitants belonging to Purana pedigrees were recruited in the study. Mitochondrial DNA was extracted, amplified and sequenced. Polymorphisms of mtDNA hypervariable segment I (HVS –I) between nucleotide positions 16,004 –16,411 were identified using CLUSTALX option of MEGAVA 4.0 sequence alignment software. In order to investigate genetic affinity of Purana population, Arlequin software version 3.11 and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) were applied using reported similar genetic data of present Sri Lankans such as Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils, Sri Lankan Moors and Vedda. Genetic relationships of Purana population with other Sri Lankans were further explored by phylogenetic analysis. Results and AnalysisGenetic dissimilarity among groups was higher (2.81%) when populations were grouped into two as modern and Purana than grouping them according to their ethnic basis (0.00%). This indicates a restricted mtDNA flow between the two groups (Purana and rest of the Sri Lankans) that made Purana population was maternally isolated from the rest of Sri Lankans. ConclusionDetailed phylogenetic analysis of the study revealed that they are maternally more related to Sri Lankan Tamil than to any other present Sri Lankans.
Highlights
Based on historical records suggesting that the ancestry of the Purana population living in the suburbs of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the times of the Sinhalese Kings of the 5th century A.D. (1,450 YBP) and Lankans such as Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils, Sri Lankan Moors and Vedda
The sequences of the Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) HVS - I in 46 individuals belonging to the Purana population living at Sigiriya suburbs was compared with reported data available for major ethnic groups: Sinhalese (n = 55), Sri Lankan Tamils (SL Tamils) (n = 40), Indian Tamils (IN Tamils) (n = 34) and Sri Lankan Moors (SL Moors) (n = 55) [13]
Intergroup mtDNA genetic variation was analyzed using Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) by grouping them on the basis of their ethnicity, Purana and modern status using the data of present study with the data published for the modern Sri Lankan population groups . [13]
Summary
Based on historical records suggesting that the ancestry of the Purana (old) population living in the suburbs of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the times of the Sinhalese Kings of the 5th century A.D. (1,450 YBP) and Lankans such as Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils, Sri Lankan Moors and Vedda. Studies reporting that the Purana are biometrically different from the rest of Results and Analysis present Sri Lankans and other populations in the world, we investigate the maternally inherited Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Purana population in the suburbs of Sigiriya to better understand genetic affinities of them to present day Sri Lankans. Genetic dissimilarity among groups was higher (2.81%) when populations were grouped into two as modern and Purana than grouping them according to their ethnic basis (0.00%). This indicates a restricted mtDNA flow between the two groups (Purana and Materials and Methods rest of the Sri Lankans) that made Purana population was maternally.
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