| Research Abstract |
Yunnan province (situated in southwest China) has more than 20 ethnic groups, who still keep their original cultural heritage and practices. At present, we have little knowledge of their genetic origins and the relationships among them. On the other hand, it has been well known to be many ethnic minorities inhabiting various geographical regions of Thailand. Notably, some ethnic groups in Thailand have the same ethnic names as those in Yunnan. However, it remains unclear whether such groups in Yunnan and Thailand share common genetic background.
In this research project, (1) we examined DNA polymorphisms on various genomic regions (e.g., mitochondrial DNA, HLA gene, blood types, Y chromosomal DNA, autosomal microsatellite DNA and β-globin gene) in several ethnic groups from Yunnan and Thailand. (2) By analyzing the obtained data for the ethnic minorities together with published data for other Asian populations (such as Han Chinese, Thai, and Japanese), we inferred the phylogenetic positions of the ethnic groups in the entire Asian populations. (3) We found that some ethnic groups in Yunnan and Thailand were closely related to each other, suggestive of past human migration between southern part of China and southeast Asia. (4) By treatment with Epstein-Barr virus, we established immortalized cell lines from peripheral blood-derived lymphocytes which were collected from the ethnic minorities.
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