Haplogroup X: The International mtDNA March 1, 2009
Posted by ethnicgenome in Genetics (General).Tags: dna, genetics, haplogroup, haplogroup x, mtdna
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Probably the most interesting mtDNA (maternal line) haplogroup X which has widespread global distribution without major regions of distinct localization. It is present in Europe, Asia, North Africa and the Americas. (This is not due to recent immigration, but among native populations. Thus when discuss the Americas, I am not talking about the English, the Spanish and others who settled it in recent centuries, but rather the indigenous American Indian tribes.)
For example, more than 90% of Caucausians are part of 6 haplogroups that derived from haplogroup R, but 2% are part of haplogroup X. Similarly, more than 95% of American Indians derived from 6 haplogroups of East Asian origin, but 3% of them are part of haplogroup X.
The founders of X haplogroup were most likely Druze because they have a particularly large percentage of their population (26%) belonging to this haplogroup, indicating the founder effect. (No ethnicity belongs exclusively to haplogroup and 26% is actually rather high, especially for this particular haplogroup.)
The X haplogroup is the only Amerindian haplogroup that does not show a strong connection to East Asia and is particularly common among the Sioux (15%), the Nuu-Chah-Nulth (11%–13%), the Navajo (7%), and the Yakima (5%).
Among whites, In the nation of Georgia, about 8% belong to this group. There’s also a higher than average presence of this haplogroup in Greece, Siberia and parts of Scotland. All native European populations have at least 0.5% belonging to this group among their native populations.
The only population that presently resides in Europe (that I found) which had no members of the X haplogroup were Russian Ashkenazi Jews, according to Nature.
It is rather curious considering that non-Jewish Russians have a higher than average percentage (3.5%) of X haplogroup as do the the people around Israel, including the Druze and the Turks, while the Palestinians and the Egyptians have about average percentage of X haplogroup.
[...] why Bryan Sykes referred to Caucasoid mtDNA as having descended from the 7 daughters of Eve. But as I explained, I don’t believe it to be accurate because X is a near-universal haplogroup that is found in [...]
[...] the 7 Daughters of Eve for the white race. It is not a strictly white haplogroup, however, and is found in Asia as well as in the Americas. The founders of the group were likely Israeli [...]