RFLP analysis on a sample from northern Italy.

We analysed a sample of 55 unrelated individuals from Trino Vercellese, a village in northern Italy. It represents the only European sample which is unmixed in a comparative study of eight populations from four continents [Bowcock et al 1991a; Lin et al 1994]. RFLP analysis was performed on 32 DNA markers, for a total of 37 independent alleles. Genetic variability between populations was measured by the FST statistics (average FST is 0.138). Average heterozygosity was calculated for each marker and for each population. Genetic distances were evaluated between pairs of populations. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed and principal component analysis performed.