Polymorphisms in the ABO blood group gene in three populations in the New Georgia group of the Solomon Islands

Abstract

To examine genetic affinity among Oceanian populations, polymorphisms of exons six and seven of the ABO blood group gene (ABO) were investigated in three populations-Munda town, Paradise village, and Rawaki village-in the New Georgia group of the Solomon Islands. The Munda and Paradise populations consist of Austronesian (AN)-speaking Melanesians; the Rawaki population consists of AN-speaking Micronesians who migrated from the Gilbert Islands to the New Georgia Islands approximately 30 years ago. We recently described the polymorphisms of ABO in three other Oceanian populations-Balopa Islanders (AN-speaking Melanesians), Gidra (non-AN-speaking Melanesians), and Tongans (AN-speaking Polynesians). The results from these six Oceanian populations suggest: (1) the main alleles in Oceanian populations are ABO*A101, ABO*A102, ABO*B101, ABO*O01, and ABO*O02, among which the most predominant is ABO*O01, and (2) there are marked differences in the ABO allele frequency spectrum among Oceanian populations. The different geographical distribution of ABO alleles provides insight into the migration history of AN-speaking populations in Oceania. © The Japan Society of Human Genetics and Springer-Verlag 2006.