Thomas R, Nair S B, Banerjee M
Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thycaud PO, Thiruvananthapuram 695014, Kerala, India.
Tissue Antigens. 2006 Sep;68(3):225-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2006.00652.x.
The Dravidian communities are considered to be the original inhabitants of India, now restricted to South India. The southern most state, Kerala, is socio-culturally stratified into Hindus, Muslims and Christians on the basis of religion. The origin of these religious communities in Kerala is considered to be unique in comparison with that in other parts of the country. These communities were later influenced by the hierarchical caste structure established by the Hindu Brahmins. In the present study, we compared six nontribal (Namboothiri, Nair, Ezhava, Pulaya, Malabar Muslim and Syrian Christian) communities belonging to the major religious groups in Kerala (Hindu, Muslim and Christian) based on the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A, -B and -C diversity. Our aim was to understand the genomic substructuring associated with the changing social scenario in various caste and religious groups and compare it with the Dravidian tribal and other world populations. The present study reveals that the HLA diversity of the Dravidian communities is very distinct from that in the other world populations. It is obvious that the nontribal communities of Kerala display a greater Dravidian influence, but traces of genetic admixture with the Mediterranean, western European, central Asian and East Asian populations can be observed. This characterizes the crypto-Dravidian features of the nontribal communities of Kerala. Demic diffusion of the local progressive communities with the migrant communities may have given rise to crypto-Dravidian features among the nontribal communities of Kerala.
达罗毗荼族群被认为是印度的原住居民，如今主要分布在印度南部。最南端的喀拉拉邦在社会文化层面上依据宗教分为印度教徒、穆斯林和基督教徒。喀拉拉邦这些宗教群体的起源相较于印度其他地区被认为是独特的。这些群体后来受到印度教婆罗门建立的等级种姓结构的影响。在本研究中，我们基于人类白细胞抗原（HLA）-A、-B和-C的多样性，比较了喀拉拉邦主要宗教群体（印度教、穆斯林和基督教）中的六个非部落群体（楠布提里、奈尔、埃扎瓦、普拉亚、马拉巴尔穆斯林和叙利亚基督教徒）。我们的目的是了解与不同种姓和宗教群体中不断变化的社会情况相关的基因组亚结构，并将其与达罗毗荼部落群体及其他世界人群进行比较。本研究表明，达罗毗荼族群的HLA多样性与其他世界人群的HLA多样性非常不同。显然，喀拉拉邦的非部落群体受达罗毗荼族群的影响更大，但也能观察到与地中海、西欧、中亚和东亚人群基因混合的痕迹。这体现了喀拉拉邦非部落群体的隐秘达罗毗荼特征。当地进步群体与移民群体的人口扩散可能导致了喀拉拉邦非部落群体中出现隐秘达罗毗荼特征。
