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European Journal of Human Genetics
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Ancient mtDNA analysis and the origin of the Guanches

European Journal of Human Geneticsvolume 12, pages155–162 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The prehistoric colonisation of the Canary Islands by the Guanches (native Canarians) woke up great expectation about their origin, since the Europeans conquest of the Archipelago. Here, we report mitochondrial DNA analysis (HVRI sequences and RFLPs) of aborigine remains around 1000 years old. The sequences retrieved show that the Guanches possessed U6b1 lineages that are in the present day Canarian population, but not in Africans. In turn, U6b, the phylogenetically closest ancestor found in Africa, is not present in the Canary Islands. Comparisons with other populations relate the Guanches with the actual inhabitants of the Archipelago and with Moroccan Berbers. This shows that, despite the continuous changes suffered by the population (Spanish colonisation, slave trade), aboriginal mtDNA lineages constitute a considerable proportion of the Canarian gene pool. Although the Berbers are the most probable ancestors of the Guanches, it is deduced that important human movements have reshaped Northwest Africa after the migratory wave to the Canary Islands.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr José Pestano, from the Department of Genetics of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, for the replication of the two aboriginal samples. This study was supported by grants of the Ministry of Science and Technology BMC2001-3511 and Gobierno de Canarias COF2002/015 to VM Cabrera.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Genética, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

    Nicole Maca-Meyer, Juan Carlos Rando, Carlos Flores, Ana M González, Vicente M Cabrera & José M Larruga

  2. Departamento de Prehistoria, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

    Matilde Arnay

  3. Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario NS de Candelaria, Tenerife, Spain

    Carlos Flores

Authors
  1. Nicole Maca-Meyer
  2. Matilde Arnay
  3. Juan Carlos Rando
  4. Carlos Flores
  5. Ana M González
  6. Vicente M Cabrera
  7. José M Larruga

Corresponding author

Correspondence toJosé M Larruga.

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Maca-Meyer, N., Arnay, M., Rando, J.et al. Ancient mtDNA analysis and the origin of the Guanches.Eur J Hum Genet12, 155–162 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201075

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