The Y-Chromosomal haplotype diversity of the Sabiny, Jopadhola and Samia of Eastern Uganda

Abstract

The Y-Chromosome genetic relatedness among and between the Sabiny, Jopadhola, and Samia populations from Eastern Uganda was investigated in this study. Y-Chromosome haplogroups of 117 individuals (35 Sabiny, 40 Jopadhola, and 42 Samia) were genotyped. Prior to this research, genetic studies on these populations were limited, particularly for those in remote areas. Six bi-allelic haplogroups were identified: A3-M32, B-M181, F-M89, E3a-M2, E3b2-M81, and E3b3-M123. Haplogroups E3a-M2 and E3b3-M123 were most prevalent, while E3b2-M81 and A-M32 showed moderate frequencies. B-181 and F-M89 were observed at very low frequencies. A low mean pairwise FST value (0.13588) between the three populations suggested a relatively recent common ancestor. Phylogeographic analysis, including data from other African populations, revealed that the study groups were more closely related to East African Nilo-Saharan, Afro-Asiatic, and Khoisan populations than to Central African Niger-Congo groups. This finding may reflect geographical barriers to gene flow between East African non-Bantu and Central African Bantu speakers. The study demonstrated that Eastern Uganda is an important source of Y-Chromosome diversity, with potential implications for understanding population history and migration patterns in the African Great Lakes region. These Y-Chromosome data from Sabiny, Jopadhola, and Samia individuals have potential applications in forensics, population genetics, and serve as valuable references for assessing Y-Chromosome diversity in other Ugandan and East African populations.