The Genetic Structure of the Kuwaiti Population: Mitochondrial DNA Markers

In the past few decades, researchers using human mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) have significantly contributed to our knowledge of human evolution and migration. The Arabian Peninsula is assumed to be one of the first inhabited regions following the expansion of early Homo sapiens out of Africa. Kuwait is located in the Northeast portion of the Arabian Peninsula. This thesis investigated the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic variation in 117 unrelated individuals to determine the genetic structure of the Kuwaiti population and compared the Kuwaiti population to their neighboring populations. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and mt-DNA sequencing analyses were used to answer the investigated questions. The result showed that the Kuwaiti population has a high frequency of haplogroup pre-HV similar to other Arabian populations. Furthermore, the MDS plot showed that the Kuwaiti population is clustered with neighboring populations, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, but not Iraq