mtDNA N1a, how rare are we?

[Pallantides]

My mtDNA haplogroup is a bit puzzling to me as it's very rare, but this what I have figured out about N1a's distribution from Wikipedia and other sources:




N1a distribution

Havyaka Brahmin 8.3%
Yemen 3.6%(other studies estimate 5.2% and 6.9%)
Saudi estimated from 2.4% to 4%
Ethiopia 2.2%
Komi-Permyaks 9.5%
Bashkirs 3.6%
Chuvash 1.8%
Altaians 1.2%
Qatar 1.1%
Khanty 0.9%
Egypt 0.8%
Croatia mainland 0.7%, also 9.24% on the island of Cres and 1.9% in the island of Brač
Tatars 0.4%
Iran 0.3%( 8.3% in the north eastern steppe zone of Iran according to one study.)
Buryats 0.2%
Turkey 0.2%
Europe total 0.2%

Historical

A 2500 year old fossil of a Scytho-Siberian in the Altai Republic, easternmost representative of the Scythians, was found to be a member of N1a. A study of a 10th and 11th century Hungarians found that N1a was present in high-status individuals but absent from commoners. One of thirteen skeletons analyzed from a medieval cemetery dated 1250-1450 AD in Denmark was found to be a member of the haplogroup.

[Nasturtium]

Very rare indeed. In my group of 399 of 23andme Relative Finder cousins, I have 3 N1a's and 1 N1a'e'1. (This compares to 183 H's, 49 U's, 39 J's etc) One of the N1a's self identifies as Northern European, and based on my other RF, the other N's are likely European as well. Of the N's I share genomes with who aren't RF cousins, there are Polish and Ashkenazi among the N1b's. The one N1a is European-American from multiple regions.
We were pondering haplogroups N and M the other day on the forum, and the only information I had was they are from the time of the initial migration out of Africa. Based on the chart, N is the mother of all European haplogroups. I'd love to know what Maciamo says about it. How do these haplogroups with such low frequencies continue to show up? M, N, W, I, R, and X...their percentages are so small and yet they tenaciously hang on. What is the explanation for it, when H, U, K and J seem so prevalent?

[Maciamo]

At least the distribution looks very Indo-European. The only thing shared by such different people as the Havyaka Brahmin from southern India, the Bashkirs and Chuvash from Russia, the Iranians, Turks and Croats are that their territories are associated with the diffusion of Indo-European people and languages, and all have R1a1a among their Y-DNA lineages.

Qatar, Yemen, Egypt and Ethiopia is more surprising, but there is so much we don't know about ancient population movements in those regions that there might well be offshoots of Indo-Europeans who reached those regions too (almost undeniable in Egypt's case).

It's really interesting to see that the mitochondrial haplogroups most strongly associated with the spread of the Indo-Europeans, and particularly the South Asian branch, tend to be minority haplogroups nowadays, such as U2, I, W, X and N1a.

[Pallantides]

http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2010/08...om-france.html

August 18, 2010
Ancient Megalithic mtDNA from France
An extremely interesting paper, the first one on Megalithic remains, and a link between the Megalithic people and the early central European Neolithic Linearbandkeramik, where N1a was unexpectedly detected as a major component a few years ago. I'll probably have more to say on this after I read the paper.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21376
News from the west: Ancient DNA from a French megalithic burial chamber
Marie-France Deguilloux et al.
Recent paleogenetic studies have confirmed that the spread of the Neolithic across Europe was neither genetically nor geographically uniform. To extend existing knowledge of the mitochondrial European Neolithic gene pool, we examined six samples of human skeletal material from a French megalithic long mound (c.4200 cal BC). We retrieved HVR-I sequences from three individuals and demonstrated that in the Neolithic period the mtDNA haplogroup N1a, previously only known in central Europe, was as widely distributed as western France. Alternative scenarios are discussed in seeking to explain this result, including Mesolithic ancestry, Neolithic demic diffusion, and long-distance matrimonial exchanges. In light of the limited Neolithic ancient DNA (aDNA) data currently available, we observe that all three scenarios appear equally consistent with paleogenetic and archaeological data. In consequence, we advocate caution in interpreting aDNA in the context of the Neolithic transition in Europe. Nevertheless, our results strengthen conclusions demonstrating genetic discontinuity between modern and ancient Europeans whether through migration, demographic or selection processes, or social practices.

[secherbernard]

http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2010/08...om-france.html

Yes, the N1a mtDNA haplogroup seems to be linked with Linear Pottery Culture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_Pottery_culture

[Pallantides]

Davide's admixture analysis
http://bga101.blogspot.com/2010/09/e...th-africa.html

I'm No2

Western/Southwestern European: 0.227639
Druze Middle Eastern: 0.000010
North African: 0.000010
Bedouin Middle Eastern: 0.000010
North/Northeast European: 0.772331



Out of 76 participants of the project I'm the only one with zero Middle Eastern influence even Finns have more than me.
Could N1a's presence in Europe be older, as I don't seem to have any Neolithic ancestry at all?

[Pallantides]

The widespread distribution of the N1a lineage in Early and Middle Neolithic northwestern Europe may indicate genetic continuity from Mesolithic populations. This scenario would support a Mesolithic contribution to the earliest Neolithic of Atlantic Europe. This would imply that the N1a lineage was already common in indigenous north European populations and that the spread of the Neolithic was principally the result of cultural diffusion. Although so far the N1a lineage has not been encountered among late European hunter-gatherers in central and north Europe (Bramanti et al., 2009; Malmström et al., 2009), it is worth noting that less than half of the hunter-gatherers' paleogenetic data come indeed from the pre-Neolithic period (predating LBK expansion). Finally, no paleogenetic data currently exist for the Mesolithic period in Western Europe. This prevents any conclusion being drawn about N1a occurrence during the Mesolithic period in those regions.

I guess we have to wait until they excavate in Europe my 11.000 year old direct maternal ancestors for the final proof.


If I have even less mideastern influence than Finns, it's extremely unlikely that any of my ancestors emigrated from the middle east into Europe 8000 to 9000 years ago, thus mtDNA N1a's presence in Europe must be older.

[foryouandme]

Wow, another rare haplogroup! They are my favourites.

How do these haplogroups with such low frequencies continue to show up? M, N, W, I, R, and X...their percentages are so small and yet they tenaciously hang on. What is the explanation for it, when H, U, K and J seem so prevalent?

M, N and R aren't rare as a whole worldwide , it depends on their branches (subclades) like for example, N1a or R0a, etc. I, W and X and probably N1a seem to be strongest in mountainous countries, perhaps that's how they survived. Makes, you wonder though, if the dominant the haplogroup, the bigger the bully, perhaps, though, I hope I'm completely wrong.

[adamo]

N1a reaches highest % in Yemen, southern Arabian peninsula, western Oman; another area is the tip of the Horn of Africa ( tip of Somalia) also the southern tip region of India, and a small stretch of extreme north-central Iran. Also lower % in western siberia/western north-central Russia and a lower % spot in Serbia and southern Sweden. The three former regions I mentioned ( Russia,Serbia,Sweden) have it at much lower %.

[Phillip schaff]

I am halagroup n1a on maternal and R-L21

[AmyG]

I am very new to this entire DNA subject, having recently received my 23andme results. I have Maternal Haplogroup N1a which is rare and curious about it as well. I just signed on to GEDmatch but honestly a bit confused on how to read all the information. My ancestry painting did not show any African American...perhaps because it goes too far back? We have some Native American on my mothers side as well but that would be her paternal side. I'd love to find out more and appreciate all those who post what they've learned!

Very rare indeed. In my group of 399 of 23andme Relative Finder cousins, I have 3 N1a's and 1 N1a'e'1. (This compares to 183 H's, 49 U's, 39 J's etc) One of the N1a's self identifies as Northern European, and based on my other RF, the other N's are likely European as well. Of the N's I share genomes with who aren't RF cousins, there are Polish and Ashkenazi among the N1b's. The one N1a is European-American from multiple regions.
We were pondering haplogroups N and M the other day on the forum, and the only information I had was they are from the time of the initial migration out of Africa. Based on the chart, N is the mother of all European haplogroups. I'd love to know what Maciamo says about it. How do these haplogroups with such low frequencies continue to show up? M, N, W, I, R, and X...their percentages are so small and yet they tenaciously hang on. What is the explanation for it, when H, U, K and J seem so prevalent?

[tortieflower]

My dad's mother was N1a. So I guess that means he was too. That maternal line stops with a woman born 1666 in Suffolk, NY. I'd expect the line is British beyond her.

[bobmarray16]

Qatar, Yemen, Egypt and Ethiopia is more surprising, but there is so much we don't know about ancient population movements in those regions that there might well be offshoots of Indo-Europeans who reached those regions too (almost undeniable in Egypt's case).