Mitochondrial DNA HVRI variation in Balearic populations

[Alkman]

Mitochondrial DNA HVRI variation in Balearic populations


A. Picornell, L. Gómez-Barbeito, C. Tomàs, J.A. Castro, M.M. RamonLaboratori de Genètica, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain



The Balearic archipelago (Majorca, Minorca, and Ibiza islands and the Chuetas, a small and inbred community of descendants of Sephardic Jews) and Valencia were studied by means of the sequencing of a 404-bp segment of hypervariable region I (HVRI) mtDNA in 231 individuals. In total, 127 different haplotypes defined by 92 variable positions were identified. The incidence of unique haplotypes was very low, especially in Ibiza and the Chuetas. A remarkable observation in the Chueta community was the high frequency (23%) of preHV-1, a Middle Eastern lineage that is closely related, though not identical, to many others found at high frequencies in different Jewish populations. The presence of this haplogroup convincingly supported the Jewish origin of the Chueta community. The studied populations showed a reduced African contribution, and no individuals were detected with North African haplogroup U6, indicating a lack of maternal contribution from the Moslem settlement to these populations. Only Ibiza showed a lower diversity, indicating a possible genetic drift effect, also supported by the historical information known about this island. The variability in the sequence of mtDNA hypervariable region I correlated well with the existing information from the populations, with the exception of that of the Y-chromosome, which could indicate a differential contribution of the maternal and paternal lineages to the genetic pool of the Balearic Islands. The phylogenetic trees showed the intermediate position of the Chueta population between the Middle Eastern and Majorcan samples, confirming the Jewish origin of this population and their Spanish admixture.




http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/c...29325/ABSTRACT

[Agrippa]

About the Chuetas:

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/vi...d=499&letter=C

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/conten...00001/art00009

[Menydh]

During different progroms in history, many Jews fled from peninsular Spain to the islands. But on a couple of accounts their fate was worse there since, while in the Peninsula they could flee to other areas, in Mallorca they couldn't go any further than the sea. And so, many who tought to have found a safe haven there, found in reality a blind alley.

However, some well known families and surnames have remained. One such was Joan March Ordinas, founder of Banca March, which was founded with the fortune made smuggling arms and "influences" between England and Spain during the Spanish Civil War. He is said to have been "the last pirate in the Mediterranean Sea".