Haplogroup U (mtDNA)

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In human genetics, Haplogroup U is a human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup. Cheddar Man, a male from 7150 BC whose remains were found in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England was shown to belong to haplogroup U. In his popular book The Seven Daughters of Eve, Bryan Sykes named the originator of this mtDNA haplogroup Ursula.

1 Origins
2 Subdivisions
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Origins

Haplogroup U is believed to have arisen somewhere in Europe or the Near East approximately 55,000 years before present. It is found throughout Europe, and contains many subgroups, each reflecting unique geography and history. Among its subgroups is Haplogroup K.

[edit] Subdivisions

Haplogroup U is subdivided into Haplogroups U1-U8 and Haplogroup K.

[edit] Haplogroup U1

[edit] Haplogroup U2

[edit] Haplogroup U3

[edit] Haplogroup U4

Haplogroup U4 has its origin in the Upper Palaeolithic, dating to approximately 25,000 years ago. It is widely distributed in Europe, and has been implicated in the expansion of modern humans into Europe occurring before the Last Glacial Maximum.

[edit] Haplogroup U5

[edit] Haplogroup U6

Haplogroup U6, is common in North Africa, and may suggest a "reverse migration" from Europe.

[edit] Haplogroup U7

Many European populations lack Haplogroup U7, but its frequency climbs over 4% in the Near East and up to 5% in Pakistan, reaching nearly 10% level in Iranians. In India, haplogroup U7 frequency peaks at over 12% in Gujarat, the westernmost state of India, while for the whole of India its frequency stays around 2%. Expansion times and haplotype diversities for the Indian and Near and Middle Eastern U7 mtDNAs are strikingly similar. The possible homeland of this haplogroup spans Indian Gujarat and Iran because from there its frequency declines steeply both to the east and to the west. If the origin were in Iran rather than in India, then its equally high frequency as well as diversity in Gujarat favors a scenario whereby U7 has been introduced to the coastal western India either very early, or by multiple founders. [1].

Click [2] for U7 Phylogeography Map (opens in same window).

[edit] Haplogroup U8

The Basques have the most ancestral phylogeny in Europe for the mitochondrial haplogroup U8a, a rare subgroup of U8, placing the Basque origin of this lineage in the Upper Palaeolithic. The lack of U8a lineages in Africa suggests that their ancestors may have originated from West Asia. <ref>Gonzalez AM, Garcia O, Larruga JM, Cabrera VM. The mitochondrial lineage U8a reveals a Paleolithic settlement in the Basque country BMC Genomics 2006, 7:124</ref>