Pattern of alu insertion polymorphism in Malaysian major ethnic groups

An identical by descent (IBD) Alu insertion polymorphisms provides a useful genetic marker for the study of human population genetic. Four human specific Alu loci (HS3.23, HS4.14, HS2.25 and HS4.69) were analyzed to determine the pattern of Alu insertion polymorphism in Malaysian major ethnics namely Malay, Chinese and Indian. Buccal samples were collected from 75 unrelated individuals using FTA paper and later undergo PCR amplification. The amplified product were detected and separated by 2% gel electrophoresis. All loci studied were polymorphic except for HS2.25. The mean of Alu insertion frequencies were 0.2077 in Malay and 0.2765 in Chinese. Interestingly, the insertion of all loci were completely absent from Indian ethnic group. All ethnic groups show trend toward lower heterozygosities. Across all subpopulations, the loci produced value of FST ranging from -0.7719 to 0.1022. Analysis of F-statistic had suggested that moderate genetic differentiation existed between Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnic population in Malaysia.