Haplogroup K | |
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Possible time of origin | 55,000-50,000 |
Possible place of origin | West Asia, Central Asia, [1] [2] [3] or Southeast Asia [4] [5] |
Ancestor | IJK |
Descendants | K2, [6] LT |
Defining mutations | M9, P128/PF5504, P131/PF5493, P132/PF5480 |
Haplogroup K or K-M9 is a genetic lineage within human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup. A sublineage of haplogroup IJK, K-M9, and its descendant clades represent a geographically widespread and diverse haplogroup. The lineages have long been found among males on every continent except Antarctica.
The direct descendants of Haplogroup K1 (L298 = P326, also known as LT) and K-M9 are Haplogroup K2 (formerly KxLT; K-M526). [6] [7]
Y-DNA haplogroup K-M9 is an old lineage that arose approximately 47,000-50,000 years ago. [8] Geneticist Spencer Wells had argued that because haplogroup K has a geographically wide distribution, the lineage probably originated near the central part of this range in the Middle East or Central Asia, possibly in Iran or Pakistan. [1] [2] [3]
Basal K* is exceptionally rare and under-researched; while it has been reported at very low frequencies on many continents it is not always clear if the examples concerned have been screened for subclades. [6] [9] Confirmed examples of K-M9* now appear to be most common amongst some populations in Island South East Asia and Melanesia. [10] [11] [12]
Primary descendants of haplogroup LT are L (M20), also known as K1a, and T (M184), also known as K1b. [6] [7]
The descendants of haplogroup K2 include:
LT (L298; a.k.a. K1) has never been found in basal form (LT*). Subclades are widely distributed at low concentrations. Haplogroup L is found at its highest frequency in India, Pakistan and among the Baloch of Afghanistan. T is most common among: Fulanis, Toubou, Tuareg, Somaliland, Egyptians, some Middle East, [35] the Aegean Islands and among Kurru, Bauris and Lodha in India. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
K2 |
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Given the widespread distribution of K, it probably arose somewhere in the Middle East or Central Asia, perhaps in the region of Iran or Pakistan.