Abstract
We have studied haemoglobin (Hb) variants and blood groups (ABO, RH, and Kell) in 598 children from the Berber population of the Mzab. Hb D-Ouled Rabah, considered as a private marker of the Kel Kummer Tuaregs, and Hb C were found at the same gene frequency (0.015). Haplotype analysis suggests a single origin to the Hb D mutation. Genetic distances calculated from the blood group data cluster Mozabites and Tuaregs with the other Berber-speaking groups, Arabic-speaking populations being more distant. But, we found no specific relationship between Mozabites and Kel Kummers. Tuaregs in general exhibit features that tend to differentiate them from other Berber-speaking groups. Hb D-Ouled Rabah may be specific of Berber-speaking populations.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part through the INSERM/DRS Algerian-French co-operative aggreement and by grant 3100-039847.93 of the FNRS (Switzerland). We thank S. Zergoune, C. Klouche, Y. Yahia, and S. Merghoub for assistance in collecting blood samples, G. Lenoir for providing the EBV-immortalised cell line, and R. Nagel for his helpful comments.
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Merghoub, T., Sanchez-Mazas, A., Tamouza, R. et al. Haemoglobin D-Ouled Rabah among the Mozabites: A Relevant Variant to Trace the Origin of Berber-Speaking Populations. Eur J Hum Genet 5, 390–396 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405948
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405948
