Single nucleotide polymorphisms in two genes among the Jarawa, a primitive tribe of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Abstract

Discovery and validation of single nucleotide poly-morphisms (SNPs) in the human genome is an active area of interest, because of their usefulness in evolutionary and disease-association studies. We have resequenced 70 chromosomes from the Jarawa, a Negrito tribal group inhabiting the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, for a ≈ 10kb genomic region spanning two genes, ICAM1 and TNF-α. We have discovered three new SNPs in the TNF-α gene. There is low sequence variability among the Jarawa, possibly due to founder effect and genetic drift.