Haplogroup K (mtDNA)

Haplogroup K is a mitochondrial lineage that represents a sizeable fraction of the Western Eurasian genetic pool.

It is the most common subclade of haplogroup U8 [ [http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/7/124 A. González et al. "The mitochondrial lineage U8a reveals a Paleolithic settlement in the Basque country". BMC Genomics, 2006] ] and it has an estimated age in Europe of c. 12,000 years BP [ [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=11032788 Richards et al., "Tracing European Founder Lineages in the Near Eastern mtDNA Pool". AJHG, 2000.] ] .

Approximately 32% of the haplotypes of modern people with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry are in haplogroup K. However, belonging to this haplogroup is not proof of Jewish heritage; the majority of haplogroup K are of non-Jewish European ancestry. In Europe it is particularly common around the Alps, Ireland, and the UK.

In his popular book "The Seven Daughters of Eve", Bryan Sykes named the originator of this mtDNA haplogroup "Katrine".

Famous members

Analysis of the mtDNA of Ötzi the Iceman, the frozen mummy from 3300 BC found on the Austrian-Italian border, has shown that Ötzi belongs to the K1 subcluster of the mitochondrial haplogroup K, but that it cannot be categorized into any of the three modern branches of that subcluster.

On an 18 November 2005 broadcast of the "Today Show", during an interview with Dr. Spencer Wells of The National Geographic Genographic Project, host Katie Couric was revealed to belong to haplogroup K. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10095659/]

On 14 August 2007, Stephen Colbert was told by Dr. Spencer Wells that he is a member of this haplogroup.

References

See also

*Human mitochondrial genetics

External links

* [https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html?card=mm021 Spread of Haplogroup K] , from "National Geographic"
* [http://www.familytreedna.com/public/mtDNA_K/ The mtDNA Haplogroup K Project]
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wrhurst/mtdna-k/kms1000post.htm Survey of 1000 K entries on MitoSearch]
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jswdna/mtdna.html Swinging in the mtDNA Tree]
* [http://dgmweb.net/genealogy/DNA/DK/DanishDemes-mtDNA-results-HgK.shtml Danish Demes Regional DNA Project: mtDNA Haplogroup K]
* [http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/43026_Doron.pdf Doron M. Behar et. al, "The Matrilineal Ancestry of Ashkenazi Jewry: Portrait of a Recent Founder Event", "The American Journal of Human Genetics", Vol. 78, March 2006.] . The article contains a table detailing the subclades of the entirety of haplogroup K (though there is an unfortunate typographical error: the table reads "14307" where it should say "14037" in the list of mutations for subclade K2b.)