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. Haplogroup K-M9 is common on all continents except Africa, and is particularly frequent in North Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Europe.

The direct descendants of haplogroup K-M9 are haplogroup K1 (L298 = P326, also known as LT) and haplogroup K2 (formerly KxLT; K-M526).^[6][7]

Origins

Y-chromosome haplogroup K-M9 is an old lineage that arose approximately 52,000 to 54,100 years ago^[8] or may be older than 54,300 years ago.^[9] Geneticist Spencer Wells had argued that because haplogroup K-M9 has a geographically wide distribution, the lineage probably originated near the central part of this range in the Middle East or South-Central Asia, possibly in Iran or Pakistan, particularly Gilgit-Baltistan.^[2][3][4]

Basal K-M9* 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][10] Confirmed examples of K-M9* now appear to be most common amongst some populations in Island South East Asia and Melanesia;^[11][12][13] it is also found in 2% of Italians, with frequencies reaching 8% among the Ladin people.^[14] K-M9* was also found in one individual from the Spanish province of Castellón with the surname Ferrer,^[15] and is common among the Bnei Menashe, a community of Indian Jews who claim descent from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel.^[16]

The primary subclades of haplogroup LT (K1) include haplogroups L (M20), also known as K1a, and T (M184), also known as K1b; both are found at high rates in South Asia, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa.^[6][7] Some subclades of LT have also been in Europe, at lower rates, since the early Neolithic period (if not earlier).

Basal K2* (K-526) has been identified mostly among indigenous Australian males, about 27% of whom carry basal K-M526*.^[17] Indigenous Australians and Papuans also carry subclades of K2b1, namely haplogroups M, also known as K2b1a, and S, also known as K2b1b. M and S are the predominant haplogroups amongst living males from New Guinea. According to Mark Lipson et al. (2014), K2* has also been found at rates of about 14% in two separate groups of Indonesian males: Toba Batak (from North Sumatra) and Mandar (West Sulawesi).^[18]

The primary subclades of haplogroup K2 include:

• K2a – Detected in ancient human samples including Oase1 (Romania),^[19] Ust'-Ishim (Russia),^[20] RNI013, RNI087, RNI010 (Germany)^[21] and BK-1653 (Bulgaria).^[22] Its descendant subclades include haplogroups N and O, which are commonly found in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Siberia, and Northern Europe.
• K2b – Detected in an ancient human sample (Tianyuan) in Beijing, China.^[23] Its descendant subclades include haplogroups M, P, Q, R, and S, which are commonly found in Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, Siberia, Oceania, and the Americas.^[24]
• K-P261 (K2c) P261
• K-P402 (K2d) P402
• K-M147 (K2e) M147

Distribution

Reported frequencies of haplogroup K-M9 among sampled regions and populations:^[25]

Structure

Haplogroup K-M9 tree^{[6][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][excessive citations]}

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haplogroup K of Y-DNA.

• Spread of Haplogroup K, from National Geographic