Abstract
Koragas, recognized as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) by the Government of India, are from coastal Karnataka and Kerala. They are experiencing severe socioeconomic and health-related issues and rapid depopulation. The unique genetic makeup of Koragas has been maintained by the practice of endogamy. We aimed to identify genetic factors potentially associated with the predisposition of Koragas towards genetic and multifactorial disorders. We employed genome-wise data of 29 Koraga individuals genotyped on the Infinium Global Screening Array-24 v3.0 BeadChip platform and performed various population genetic analyses including kinship, identity by descent (IBD), and runs of homozygosity (RoH). A high degree of haplotype sharing among the Koraga participants may be indicative of a recent founder event. We identified genetic variants and genes associated with several genetic disorders, higher infant mortality rate, neurological disorders, deafness, and lower fertility rate of this agrarian tribe. Ours is the first genome-wide study on the Koraga tribe that identified genetic factors associated with various genetic disorders. Our findings can provide public healthcare providers with essential genetic information that can be useful in augmenting medical and healthcare services and improving the quality of life of Koragas.
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Data availability statement
The raw data underlying this article cannot be shared publicly due to ethical reasons concerning the privacy of this vulnerable tribal group. However, the analyzed data can be shared upon request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr Mohammed Guthigar, Associate Professor and Head of the Medical Social Work Department, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), and Koraga community leaders for their active help and support.
Funding
This work was supported by the Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) Seed Grant (YU/Seed Grant/093-2020).
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The study was approved by the Yenepoya Ethical Committee 1 (YEC-1/2021/052), Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, India. Informed consent was obtained from the participants using the standard inform consent format approved by Yenepoya (Deemed to be University). A scanned copy of the Ethical Clearance Certificate is available.
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Corresponding editor: Partha P Majumder
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Krishna, S.M., Prabhu, S.M. & Das, R. Unraveling the propensity of various genetic disorders and syndromes in the Koraga, an aboriginal tribe from southern India. J Biosci 49, 67 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-024-00458-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-024-00458-3