Bounty crew descendants offer DNA clue

Sydney - Australian scientists hope the DNA of descendants of the mutinous crew of the Bounty who live on tiny, isolated Norfolk Island will give them a genetic clue to heart disease.

Researchers have begun taking DNA samples from the 900 adult descendants of the men who set Captain William Bligh adrift in a small boat after their infamous 1789 mutiny on HMS Bounty, according to the latest edition of New Scientist magazine.

Geneticists from Griffith University in Queensland hope the DNA of people from the isolated island 1 600km north-east of Sydney will help them find the genes that predispose people to cardiovascular disease, the magazine reported on Thursday.

Lyn Griffiths, genomics research director at the university, said: "Many of the diseases I am interested in are a combination of several genes and environmental triggers.

"Here, the population is so isolated you can reduce environmental differences so you concentrate on genetic factors," she told New Scientist.

Griffiths said she had "a very strong candidate" gene for high blood pressure and hoped her research would also pinpoint a gene for migraines.

"We need more evidence, which this will hopefully provide," she said.

DNA is a kind of genetic fingerprint unique to every individual and it is also the molecule in the body that transmits hereditary characteristics from parents to children.

Between 600 and 700 Norfolk islanders trace their roots back to the mutinous crew of the Bounty.

The Bounty crew and some Tahitian women settled on Pitcairn Island halfway between Australia and South America. Their descendants moved to Norfolk Island in 1856.

Griffiths said the mix of Tahitian and British blood, genetic history and strong family ties could provide a good insight into the genetic make-up of people predisposed to heart disease.

"People of Polynesian descent tend to run a high level of cardiovascular disease, while their English background ... might contribute to additional cardiovascular disease," she said.

"Their eating habits are decidedly old English, with high cholesterol in the diet. Many are keen on fried foods and additional cream," said Griffiths.

Her team has been on the island for three months and has so far taken about 550 DNA samples. The university has also signed an agreement with the Norfolk islanders to share in any profits from the research.

Norfolk Island is an external Australian territory governed by a local administration. - Reuters