Genetic Study of the Ezhava Population in Kerala
Author Information
Author(s): Nair Parvathy, Seema Geetha, Aswathy Jagannath, Chippy
Primary Institution: Sree Buddha College of Engineering, Kerala, India
Hypothesis
To analyze the haplotype of the Ezhava population of Kerala, south India, using 8 short tandem repeat (STR) loci on the Y chromosome and trace the paternal genetic lineage of the population.
Conclusion
The Ezhavas showed more resemblance to the Jat Sikh population of Punjab and the Turkish populations than to the East Asians, indicating a paternal lineage of European origin.
Supporting Evidence
- 98 out of 104 haplotypes were unique, indicating high genetic diversity.
- The average gene diversity was 0.669, with the highest diversity observed for the DYS 385 marker.
- 10 haplotypes were identical to the Jat Sikh population, and 4 to the Turkish population.
Takeaway
Scientists studied the DNA of 104 men from the Ezhava community in Kerala to see where their ancestors came from. They found that most of their DNA is similar to people from Europe.
Methodology
Whole blood samples were collected from unrelated healthy men, and genomic DNA was extracted and analyzed for 8 Y-STR loci using PCR amplification.
Limitations
The study was limited to a particular geographic area with the predominant Ezhava community and lacked comparative Y-STR-based data for other Kerala communities.
Participant Demographics
Unrelated healthy male individuals from the Ezhava population of Kerala.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website