Genetic Variations among Three Major Ethnic Groups in Nigeria Using RAPD
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Date
2018
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Publisher
Shiraz University
Abstract
Genetically, every individual is unique; this may stem from inheritance, geographical
locations, and/or environmental interactions. This study examined the possibility of developing
a cheap and easy-to-use marker that can distinguish among the three ethnic groups in Nigeria
using RAPD-PCR. Five RAPD primers, OPA1-3 and OPC1-2, were randomly selected and used
to amplify DNA samples isolated from blood of eighteen human subjects representing the three
major ethnic groups in Nigeria (six subjects each). Genomic DNAs were extracted using DNA
isolation kit, RAPD-PCR amplification was performed and gel electrophoresis was done.
Genetic similarity between the band polymorphism was evaluated as frequencies of occurrence
and the phylogenetic tree constructed. Three of the five primers show various polymorphisms;
the highest frequency band for primer OPA1 is 50% while that of primer OPA2 is 100% and for
OPC2 is 83.33%. Although OPA2 has common bands in majority of the samples few of the
bands are ethnic group specific. Bands 471 and 435 bp are specific for the Hausa ethnic group at
66.67% frequency. Similarly, in primer OPC2, band 320 can be used to distinguish the Hausas
from the other two ethnic groups. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and test for homogeneity
showed that there is no significant difference in the polymorphism between and among the
groups. In conclusion this research has given an insight into the possibility of developing RAPD
primers that could be used to distinguish people of different ethnic groups.
Description
Keywords
Genetic variations, RAPD-PCR, Nigerian ethnic, Genetic variation, PyElph, Phylogeny