RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Great Migration and African-American genomic diversity
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 029173
DO 10.1101/029173
A1 Soheil Baharian
A1 Maxime Barakatt
A1 Christopher R. Gignoux
A1 Suyash Shringarpure
A1 Jacob Errington
A1 William J. Blot
A1 Carlos D. Bustamante
A1 Eimear E. Kenny
A1 Scott M. Williams
A1 Melinda C. Aldrich
A1 Simon Gravel
YR 2015
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2015/10/15/029173.abstract
AB Genetic studies of African-Americans identify functional variants, elucidate historical and genealogical mysteries, and reveal basic biology. However, African-Americans have been under-represented in genetic studies, and little is known about nation-wide patterns of genomic diversity in the population. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of African-American genomic diversity using genotype data from nationally and regionally representative cohorts. We find higher African ancestry in southern United States compared to the North and West. We show that relatedness patterns track north- and west-bound routes followed during the Great Migration, suggesting that admixture occurred predominantly in the South prior to the Civil War and that ancestry-biased migration is responsible for regional differences in ancestry. Rare genetic traits among African-Americans can therefore be shared over long geographic distances along the Great Migration routes, yet their distribution over short distances remains highly structured. This study clarifies the role of recent demography in shaping African-American genomic diversity.