Phenotypic and Allelic Distribution of the ABO and Rhesus Blood Groups among students at Hawassa University, Ethiopia

A prior information on the distribution of ABO and Rh groups is important for management of blood bank and transfusion, genetic counseling, anthropological studies, to study the association of blood groups and diet; to investigate the association between blood and diseases. This study aimed to determine the frequency of ABO and Rh bloods and investigate gene diversity at both loci among students in Ethiopia.  A descriptive cross-sectional survey was employed involving randomly selected two thousand thirty nine (2039) university students (1054 males and 985 females) with an age range of 18–29 years. Blood groups were determined based on agglutination reaction. The most common blood group was found to be O (42.47%), followed by A (27.86%), B (21.87%), and AB (7.80 %). The frequency of Rh+ and Rh- were 90.88% and 9.12 %, respectively. The combined blood types showed O+, A+, B+ and AB+ were: 38.60 %, 25.20%, 20.10%  and 7.00%, respectively. A slightly different distribution pattern of ABO blood group was observed among females from Amhara region (O> B> A>AB). The distribution of ABO phenotypes from Addis Ababa and Amhara did not differ significantly from those expected under the Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium. A high level of gene diversity was observed for both loci. In general, the O blood type is most frequent and followed by A, B and AB. A similar pattern of distribution of the ABO and Rh blood groups was found in male and female study subjects. The present study will generate baseline data that could be used in blood bank management and transfusion, genetic counseling, population genetic and anthropological studies, and for disease management

The Legacy of Recurrent Introgression during the Radiation of Hares

International audienceHybridization may often be an important source of adaptive variation, but the extent and long-term impacts of introgression have seldom been evaluated in the phylogenetic context of a radiation. Hares (Lepus) represent a widespread mammalian radiation of 32 extant species characterized by striking ecological adaptations and recurrent admixture. To understand the relevance of introgressive hybridization during the diversification of Lepus, we analyzed whole exome sequences (61.7 Mb) from 15 species of hares (1- 4 individuals per species), spanning the global distribution of the genus, and two outgroups. We used a coalescent framework to infer species relationships and divergence times, despite extensive genealogical discordance. We found high levels of allele sharing among species and show that this reflects extensive incomplete lineage sorting and temporally layered hybridization. Our results revealed recurrent introgression at all stages along the Lepus radiation, including recent gene flow between extant species since the last glacial maximum, but also pervasive ancient introgression occurring since near the origin of the hare lineages. We show that ancient hybridization between northern hemisphere species has resulted in shared variation of potential adaptive relevance to highly seasonal environments, including genes involved in circadian rhythm regulation, pigmentation, and thermoregulation. Our results illustrate how the genetic legacy of ancestral hybridization may persist across a radiation, leaving a long-lasting signature of shared genetic variation that may contribute to adaptation

Hare samples used in this study.

<p>Hare samples used in this study.</p

Microsatellite-based Bayesian structure and admixture analysis of the genotypes of the three Ethiopian hare species.

<p>Model results are based on A: 12 loci, correlated allele frequencies, and no species priors, B: 12 loci, correlated allele frequencies, species priors, C: 8 loci, correlated allele frequencies, no species priors, D: 8 loci, correlated allele frequencies, species priors. For more details see “<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180137#sec002" target="_blank">Material and methods</a>”.</p

Median joining network of TF haplotypes.

<p>Haplotypes (pies) are proportional to the total sample number, taxon assignments of single haplotypes (pie slices) represent percentages of taxa per haplotype. Black dots indicate inferred haplotypes, not revealed presently, numbers associated with lines give numbers of substitutions between any two haplotypes/inferred haplotypes, if more than one; single mutational steps between any two haplotypes are not indicated. Evolutionary distances between haplotypes are only roughly in proportional scale. Taxa acronyms: cn–<i>Lepus capensis</i>, North Africa, cs–<i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i>, South Africa, f–<i>L</i>. <i>fagani</i>, h–<i>L</i>. <i>habessinicus</i>, s–<i>L</i>. <i>starcki</i>, x–<i>L</i>. <i>saxatilis</i>, <i>Lsp</i>.–phenotypically undetermined hare specimen, cc–<i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i>, China, co–<i>L</i>. <i>comus</i>, hn–<i>L</i>. <i>hainanus</i>, m–<i>L</i>. <i>mandshuricus</i>, si–<i>L</i>. <i>sinensis</i>, oi–<i>L</i>. <i>oiostolus</i>, y–<i>L</i>. <i>yarkandensis</i>, a–<i>L</i>. <i>arcticus</i>, am–<i>L</i>. <i>americanus</i>, cf–<i>L</i>. <i>californicus</i>, cj–<i>L</i>. <i>castroviejoi</i>, cr–<i>L</i>. <i>corsicanus</i>, e–<i>L</i>. <i>europaeus</i>, g–<i>L</i>. <i>granatensis</i>, o–<i>L</i>. <i>othus</i>, t–<i>L</i>. <i>timidus</i>, tw–<i>L</i>. <i>twonsendii</i>, sf–<i>Sylvilagus floridanus</i>, Oc–<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus</i>.</p

Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA reveals reticulate evolution in hares (<i>Lepus</i> spp., Lagomorpha, Mammalia) from Ethiopia

<div><p>For hares (<i>Lepus</i> spp., Leporidae, Lagomorpha, Mammalia) from Ethiopia no conclusive molecular phylogenetic data are available. To provide a first molecular phylogenetic model for the Abyssinian Hare (<i>Lepus habessinicus</i>), the Ethiopian Hare (<i>L</i>. <i>fagani</i>), and the Ethiopian Highland Hare (<i>L</i>. <i>starcki</i>) and their evolutionary relationships to hares from Africa, Eurasia, and North America, we phylogenetically analysed mitochondrial ATPase subunit 6 (ATP6; n = 153 / 416bp) and nuclear transferrin (TF; n = 155 / 434bp) sequences of phenotypically determined individuals. For the hares from Ethiopia, genotype composition at twelve microsatellite loci (n = 107) was used to explore both interspecific gene pool separation and levels of current hybridization, as has been observed in some other <i>Lepus</i> species. For phylogenetic analyses ATP6 and TF sequences of <i>Lepus</i> species from South and North Africa (<i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i>, <i>L</i>. <i>saxatilis</i>), the Anatolian peninsula and Europe (<i>L</i>. <i>europaeus</i>, <i>L</i>. <i>timidus</i>) were also produced and additional TF sequences of 18 <i>Lepus</i> species retrieved from GenBank were included as well. Median joining networks, neighbour joining, maximum likelihood analyses, as well as Bayesian inference resulted in similar models of evolution of the three species from Ethiopia for the ATP6 and TF sequences, respectively. The Ethiopian species are, however, not monophyletic, with signatures of contemporary uni- and bidirectional mitochondrial introgression and/ or shared ancestral polymorphism. <i>Lepus habessinicus</i> carries mtDNA distinct from South African <i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i> and North African <i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i> sensu lato; that finding is not in line with earlier suggestions of its conspecificity with <i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i>. <i>Lepus starcki</i> has mtDNA distinct from <i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i> and <i>L</i>. <i>europaeus</i>, which is not in line with earlier suggestions to include it either in <i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i> or <i>L</i>. <i>europaeus</i>. <i>Lepus fagani</i> shares mitochondrial haplotypes with the other two species from Ethiopia, despite its distinct phenotypic and microsatellite differences; moreover, it is not represented by a species-specific mitochondrial haplogroup, suggesting considerable mitochondrial capture by the other species from Ethiopia or species from other parts of Africa. Both mitochondrial and nuclear sequences indicate close phylogenetic relationships among all three <i>Lepus</i> species from Ethiopia, with <i>L</i>. <i>fagani</i> being surprisingly tightly connected to <i>L</i>. <i>habessinicus</i>. TF sequences suggest close evolutionary relationships between the three Ethiopian species and Cape hares from South and North Africa; they further suggest that hares from Ethiopia hold a position ancestral to many Eurasian and North American species.</p></div

Genetic differentiation and migration between <i>Lepus</i> species from Ethiopia.

<p>Genetic differentiation and migration between <i>Lepus</i> species from Ethiopia.</p

Geographical sample distribution.

<p>Full red circles–<i>Lepus habessinicus</i>, full brown triangles–<i>L</i>. <i>fagani</i>, full blue squares–<i>L</i>. <i>starcki</i>. Open symbols indicate geographical positions of respective holotypes; also given are acronyms of sample localities (for details see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180137#pone.0180137.t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>).</p

Bayesian dendrogram of TF haplotypes.

<p>Node support above 50% is given for Bayesian Inference, ML, and NJ analyses (for details see “<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180137#sec002" target="_blank">Materials and methods</a>” section). Acronyms of taxa: a–<i>Lepus arcticus</i>, am–<i>L</i>. <i>americanus</i>, c–<i>L</i>. <i>comus</i>, cc–<i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i>, China, cf–<i>L</i>. <i>californicus</i>, cj–<i>L</i>. <i>castroviejoi</i>, cn–<i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i>, North Africa, cr–<i>L</i>. <i>corsicanus</i>, cs–<i>L</i>. <i>capensis</i>, South Africa, e–<i>L</i>. <i>europaeus</i>, f–<i>L</i>. <i>fagani</i>, h–<i>L</i>. <i>habessinicus</i>, hn–<i>L</i>. <i>hainanus</i>, m–<i>L</i>. <i>mandshuricus</i>, o–<i>L</i>. <i>othus</i>, oi–<i>L</i>. <i>oiostolus</i>, s–<i>L</i>. <i>starcki</i>, si–<i>L</i>. <i>sinensis</i>, t–<i>L</i>. <i>timidus</i>, tw–<i>L</i>. <i>townsendii</i>, x–<i>L</i>. <i>saxatilis</i>, y–<i>L</i>. <i>yarkandensis</i>, Oc–<i>Orycotlagus cuniculus</i>, Sf–<i>Sylvilagus floridanus</i>.</p

Bayesian dendrogram of mtATP6 haplotypes.

<p>Node support above 50% is given for Bayesian Inference, ML, and NJ analyses, respectively. For details see “<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0180137#sec002" target="_blank">Material and methods</a>”.</p