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Family names and the length of the Y chromosome in Brazilian blacks
Ana A.L. BarbosaI; Iglenir J. CavalliII; Kiyoko AbéI; Maria G. SantosIII; Eliane S. AzevêdoIV
IDepartamento de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Jequié, BA, Brasil.
IIDepartamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Caixa Postal 19071, 81531-970 Curitiba, PR, Brasil. Send correspondence to I.J.C.
IIIFaculdade de Formação de Professores, Universidade Estadual da Bahia, Alagoinhas, BA, Brasil.
IVLaboratório de Genética Médica, Hospital Universitário Prof. Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 40150-121 Salvador, BA, Brasil.
ABSTRACT
The variability of the lengths of the heterochromatic and euchromatic segments of the human Y chromosome was studied by a quantitative method of densitometric measurement in 60 normal and unrelated black individuals (30 with and 30 without devotional surnames), living in Salvador, Bahia, northeastern Brazil. Thirty normal and unrelated Caucasian individuals of European origin, living in Curitiba, Paraná, south Brazil, were included as controls. The heterochromatic segment and total Y chromosome lengths were greater in caucasians than in blacks without devotional surnames, and these were greater than in blacks with devotional surnames. These findings are in agreement with previous reports of a higher percentage of black ancestry in blacks carrying devotional surnames than those carrying non-devotional ones.
Keywords: Family names; Y chromosome; Brazilian blacks.
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