Nigeria is the most populous black nation. Yorubas and Fulanis are arguably second and fourth largest of the over 250 Nigerian ethnic groups. Three studies evaluated autosomal-STRs, Y-STRs and mitochondrial-DNA haplogroups in Fulanis and Yorubas resident in Ilorin, Nigeria. Samples of unrelated 25 Fulani males and 23 Yoruba males whose ethnicity were confirmed by three generations (paternal and maternal) were collected with informed consent. (i) Samples were amplified using SureID®-21G PCR Amplification Kit containing Amelogenin and 20 CODIS autosomal-STR loci: CSF1PO, D1S1656, D12S11, D12S391, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D19S433, D2S1338, D3S1358, D5S818, D6S1043, D7S820, D8S1179, FGA, PENTA-D, PENTA-E, TH01, TPOX and vWA; and genotyped subsequent to capillary electrophoresis. (ii) Samples were amplified using UniQ-Typer™ Y10-STR prototype genotyping kit containing 10 Y-STR loci: DYS385a/b, DYS449, DYS447, DYS481, DYS504, DYS518, DYS612, DYS626, DYS644 and DYS710; and genotyped subsequent to capillary electrophoresis. (iii) Noncoding hypervariable regions I and II of mitochondrial-DNA were analyzed. Population genetic parameters were computed. No deviation from expectation of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium was observed for all autosomal-STRs and Y-STRs. All autosomal-STR loci were polymorphic. Nine Y-STR loci were polymorphic except DYS626 with no alleles. Lower genetic diversity was observed in all autosomal-STRs and in 8 out of 10 Y-STRs (except DYS449 and DYS644) amongst Fulanis compared to Yorubas. This is possibly due to permitted marriage between first cousins amongst Fulanis, which is forbidden in Yoruba customs. Two haplogroups (L0a1a2 and L3k1) out of 18 mitochondrial-DNA haplogroups observed in Fulanis were not previously observed. L1b, L2a1, L2b, L3b1a, L3b1b, L3d1a1b, L3e2a1b1 and L3e2b haplogroups were observed in Fulanis and Yorubas. Overall, Fulanis and Yorubas belong to mitochondrial-DNA L0-L3 haplogroups.

Author

• Adelaja Akinlolu (Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo, Nigeria, Nigeria)

References

1. Akinlolu A. (2023). Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup determination using Hypervariable Regions I and II of Fulanis and Yorubas in Ilorin, Kwara State and North Central of Nigeria. Malaysian J. Human Genetics 4(1):1-10.

2. Akinlolu A. et al. (2021). Y-Short Tandem Repeats in Fulanis and Yorubas of Ilorin, 
Kwara State and North Central of Nigeria. Malaysian J. Human Genetics 2(1):112.

3. Akinlolu A. et al. (2021). Preliminary phylogenetics: Hausas, Igbos and Yorubas of Nigeria are closely related, and are externally related to Guinea, but are not closely related to Egypt, Israeli-Jews or Saudi-Arabia. Int. J. Anthropol. 36(3-4):223-263.

4. Akinlolu A. et al. Allele diversity, haplotype frequency, haplotype diversity and forensic genotyping of Fulanis and Yorubas resident in Ilorin, Kwara State, North Central of Nigeria. Arab J. Forensic Sci. & Forensic Medicine 3(2):216-230.