Sains Malaysiana 42(7)(2013): 921–926

Peninsular Malaysia’s Negrito Orang Asli and Its Theory of African Origin

(Orang Asli Negrito di Semenanjung Malaysia dan Teori Asal Usul Afrika)

Endom Ismail^*, Farahnaz Amini, Shairah Abdul Razak & Husna Mohd Zaini

School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor D.E., Malaysia

Bin Alwi Zilfalil

School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian,

Kelantan, Malaysia

Reza Farhour

Saint James School of Medicine, Albert Lake Drive, The Quarter, A-1 2640,Anguilla

Received: 24 August 2012/Accepted: 4 December 2012

ABSTRACT

Negritos of Peninsular Malaysia have physical features which strongly resemble the African pygmies rather than any of the other main South East Asian ethnic groups. In addition, their features are also completely different from the two other large sub-groups of the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli, i.e. Senoi and Proto-Malay. In this study, we genetically screened three African-specific markers, Glucose-6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene PvuII Type 2 polymorphism and A- mutation; and Sickle Cell trait in 103 unrelated individuals with G6PD deficiency. None of the Negritos’ samples carried A- and Sickle cell mutations but all males and females have the PvuII Type 2 polymorphism. The same results were seen in all DNA samples of the Malaysian’s Malay, Chinese and Indians. Additionally, all females in this study were homozygous for PvuII Type 2 polymorphism. Thus, we concluded that this polymorphism is widespread in all Malaysian population and is not unique to just Africans. However, these findings indicated that the polymorphism was widely conserved and can be used to study the African descendant in any world population hitherto supporting the ‘Out of Africa’ theory.

Keywords: G6PD; Malaysia; Negrito; Orang Asli

ABSTRAK

Negrito di Semenanjung Malaysia mempunyai ciri-ciri fizikal yang sangat menyerupai orang Pigmi di Afrika berbanding kumpulan etnik lain di Asia Tenggara. Sebagai tambahan, ciri-ciri mereka juga secara keseluruhannya berbeza berbanding dua lagi sub-kumpulan Orang Asli di Semenanjung Malaysia iaitu Senoi dan Melayu-Proto. Dalam kajian ini, kami membuat penyaringan genetik menggunakan tiga penanda khas populasi Afrika, polimorfisme PvuII Type 2 dan mutasi A- untuk G6PD gen serta mutasi sel sabit ke atas 103 individu tak bersaudara yang mengalami kekurangan G6PD. Kesemua sampel Negrito tidak membawa mutasi A- dan sel sabit tetapi kesemua lelaki dan perempuan dalam kajian ini mempunyai polimorfisme PvuII Type 2. Hasil yang sama dicerap dalam semua sampel DNA Melayu, Cina dan India di Malaysia. Tambahan lagi, semua perempuan dalam kajian ini homozigus bagi polimorfisme PvuII Type 2. Oleh itu, kami menyimpulkan bahawa polimorfisma ini tersebar luas dalam kesemua populasi Malaysia dan tidak khusus untuk orang Afrika sahaja. Walau bagaimanapun, penemuan kajian ini memberi petunjuk bahawa polimorfisme ini terpelihara secara meluas dan boleh digunakan untuk mengkaji keturunan Afrika bagi mana-mana populasi dunia, seterusnya menyokong teori ‘Out of Africa’.

Kata kunci: G6PD; Malaysia; Negrito; Orang Asli

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*Corresponding author; email: eismail@ukm.my