Variability of genetic markers in Himachal Pradesh, India: variation among the subpopulations.

The genetic composition of one tribal and two nontribal populations of the Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India, was studied by phenotype analyses of 25 genetic markers (9 blood groups, 13 red cell enzymes, and 3 serum proteins). Furthermore, the genetic structure of 11 populations from 3 districts, Chamba, Kangra, and Kinnaur of Himachal Pradesh, was also analyzed using data from 20 loci (57 alleles). Nine genetic systems (ABO, Rh, FY, P, PGM, ACP, AK, PGD, and HP) showed highly significant heterogeneity in the five populations of Kinnaur District, whereas among the six populations from Chamba and Kangra districts the genetic variation was low. The FIS value at each locus for the five populations of Kinnaur District and the six populations from Chambra and Kangra districts was consistently higher than the FST estimates, suggesting that the population structure of both regions is influenced by local random inbreeding. Although the role of selection in local genetic differentiation cannot be ruled out, the present analyses indicate that local differentiation is mainly affected by geographic proximity, random inbreeding, and admixture.