Y HAPLOGROUP L
MTDNA HAPLOGROUP U1A
I have recently tested my Y-chromosome and my mtdna
with the
genographic
project/FTDNA, with
Ethnoancestry,
and with Argus Biosciences. I have also taken
the larger deCODEme test.
Somewhat surprisingly, it turns out that I belong to
Y-chromosome haplogroup L (M168, M89, M9G, M11G), likely
to an L2 subgroup (that is, markers M317 and M349), and (may be less
surprisingly) to mtdna haplogroup U1a (usually characterized by HVR1 16189C and 16249C).
My father is K1a*.
I am trying to collect and post information about these
not-well-known haplogroups. Y-haplogroup L
is common (around 15%) in India (in particular the South)
and in Pakistan, although it appears
at low frequencies (2-4%) also in the Northern part of the
Middle East (Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Kurdistan, Lebanon) and in
Central Asia (Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, though these
regions have not been well tested). A couple of papers, as well
as a number of personal tests, have shown the presence of haplogroup L
also in the Mediterranean, although at very low frequencies.
It is extremely rare in Northern or Eastern Europe.
Sengupta et al. (see below) isolate
three subgroups of haplogroup L:
L1 M76-M27, L2 M317 and L3 M357. These subgroups have
in general not been tested outside of that
paper. Other papers have found more markers. It seems now possible to
identify two subgroups of L2, M247 and M349, and one of L3
(PK3). Confusingly, the subgroups of L2 were previously referred to as
respectively L2a and L2b, but a recent tree has switched the
names (that is, L2a=M349 and L2b=M247).
Given some preliminary tests, and given the
anecdotical evidence in ysearch.org, it seems that L2, and in particular
L2-M349, defines a western offshot of haplogroup L. Most of the (few)
European observations seem to fall broadly into the same
subgroup, potentially L2b.
But neither the origin nor the diffusion of haplogroup L outside India,
and in particular into the Mediterranean, have been understood yet.
My result is somewhat surprising because my family (traced at least
back to the XV century) is from the area of
of Massa, in Northern Tuscany, and the
majority of Northern and Central Italians belong to haplogroup
R1b. But the town is on the coast, and was occupied by many invaders
over time, including Byzantines (that is, from the Eastern Mediterranean).
In the literature, there is even less
about mtdna haplogroup U1a. While U is
the second most common haplogroup in Europe (especially U5), U1a seems
instead more common in the Middle East. But I have not been able
to find any good paper about it. Interestingly, I have found two other people who
originate from Northern Tuscany (Garfagnana and Massa) and who are
also U1a. So maybe there is a cluster of U1a's in the region.
I'd like to know more about both haplogroups. Do you belong
to haplogroup L
or U1a as well? Do you have any information about it? I'd be
happy to share. Send me an email to:
cacio 'at' cagetti.com
(type in the address with the @ in your mail program)
A webpage with information and links about haplogroup L, gathered from
various scientific articles and personal tests.
A webpage with information and links about haplogroup U1a, gathered from
various scientific articles and personal tests. A little information
about mtdna-K1a as well.
A webpage with some links and some programs useful to
analyze decodeme and 23andme data, especially the Y chromosome.
Back to Cacio's homepage.