HLA Genes in Afro-American Colombians (San Basilio de Palenque): TheFirst Free Africans in America

ABSTRACT

An Afro-American semi-isolated Colombian population is studied for its HLA genes: San Basilio de Palenquecommunity in Colombia northern mountains. This community represents the first free Africans in America earning recognitionby the Spanish Crown in 1691 AD. Nowadays, they also speak the only extant Bantu-Spanish Creole language overthe World; these people have been apart from there neighbours and claim a direct African descent. Their HLA genes werecompared with African, Afro-American, Amerindian and worldwide populations by using genetic distances (DA), Neighbour-Joining dendograms and correspondences analyses. Arlequin, DISPAN and VISTA softwares were used for thecompletion of these computerised calculations. San Basilio de Palenque, a relatively ethnic isolate, is genetically close toother North and South Afro-Americans and to West Africa-Bantu speaking groups (Senegalese; Bubi, Guinea Gulf). FiveHLA extended haplotypes are found only in this population: A*02-B*07-DRB1*0801-DQB1*0301, A*02-B*35-DRB1*1304-DQB1*0301, A*02-B*15-DRB1*0302-DQB1*0402, A*01-B*51-DRB1*0301-DQB1*0201, A*68-B*15-DRB1*0102-DQB1*0501. Only very limited gene flow is found from either Amerindians or Europeans, as expected byhistorical records. Our HLA data may also prove useful for future regional transplant programs and genetic epidemiologyof HLA-linked.

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