Haplogroup T (mtDNA)
Encyclopedia
In human mitochondrial genetics
, Haplogroup T is a human
mitochondrial DNA
(mtDNA) haplogroup
.
, which also gave rise to haplogroup J
. Haplogroup T is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia
and/or the Fertile Crescent
(modern Syria
and Turkey
) approximately 45,000-50,000 years ago, and then moved northwest in to Europe (at least 10,000 years ago) and east as far as modern Pakistan and India.
In his popular book The Seven Daughters of Eve
, Bryan Sykes
, who is himself in Haplogroup T, named the originator of this group "Tara," which means rocky hill in Gaelic
. Sykes believes that: "Tara herself lived 17,000 years ago in the northwest of Italy among the hills of Tuscany
and along the estuary of the river Arno."
The International Society of Genetic Genealogy gives the following standardized description about mtDNA Haplogroup T and two of its main subclades:
"The mitochondrial Haplogroup T is best characterized as a European lineage. With an origin in the Near East greater than 45,000 years ago, the major sub-lineages of Haplogroup T entered Europe around the time of the Neolithic
10,000 years ago. Once in Europe, these sub-lineages underwent a dramatic expansion associated with the arrival of agriculture in Europe. Today, we find Haplogroup T*, the root Haplogroup for Haplogroup T, widely distributed in Europe."
About subclade T1 they write: "The origin of Haplogroup T1 dates to at least 6,000 years ago, and today, we find Haplogroup T1 distributed in populations living in southeast, central, and northwestern Europe."
Regarding subclade T2: "Haplogroup T2 is one of the older sub-lineages and may have been present in Europe as early as the Late Upper Palaeolithic."
. According to Oxford Ancestors, Haplogroup T "includes slightly fewer than 10% of modern Europeans. Its many branches are widely distributed throughout southern and western Europe with particularly high concentrations in Ireland and the west of Britain." According to the Genographic Project: "Haplogroup T has a very wide distribution, and is present as far east as the Indus Valley bordering India and Pakistan and as far south as the Arabian peninsula
. It is also common in eastern and northern Europe."
" to Europe; they write: "Although the haplogroup was present during the early and middle Upper Paleolithic, [Haplogroup] T is generally considered one of the main genetic signatures of the Neolithic
expansions. While groups of hunter-gatherers and subsistence fishermen had been occupying much of Eurasia for tens of thousands of years, around ten thousand years ago a group of modern humans living in the Fertile Crescent
-present day eastern Turkey and northern Syria-began domesticating the plants, nuts, and seeds they had been collecting. What resulted were the world's first agriculturalists, and this new cultural era is typically referred to as the Neolithic. Groups of individuals able to support larger populations with this reliable food source began migrating out of the Middle East, bringing their new technology with them. By then, humans had already settled much of the surrounding areas, but this new agricultural technology proved too successful to ignore, and the surrounding groups quickly copied these new immigrants. Interesting, DNA data indicate that while these new agriculturalists were incredibly successful at planting their technology in the surrounding groups, they were far less successful at planting their own genetic seed. Agriculture was quickly and widely adopted, but the lineages carried by these Neolithic expansions are found at frequencies seldom greater than 20 percent in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia."
A few tentative medical studies have demonstrated that Haplogroup T may offer some resistance to both Parkinson's disease
and Alzheimer's disease
.
Certain medical studies had shown mitochondrial Haplogroup T to be associated with reduced sperm motility
in males, although these results have been challenged. According to the Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologica Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Haplogroup T represents a weak genetic background that can predispose to asthenozoospermia
. However, these findings have been disputed.
n Tsar
, Nicholas II
, has been shown to be of Haplogroup T, specifically subclade T2. This was established when genetic testing was done on his remains to authenticate his identity. Assuming all relevant pedigrees are correct, this includes all female-line descendants of his female line ancestor Barbara of Celje
(1390-1451), wife of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
. This includes a great number of European nobles, including George I of Great Britain
and Frederick William I of Prussia
(through the Electress Sophia of Hanover
), Charles I of England
, George III of the United Kingdom
, George V of the United Kingdom
, Charles X Gustav of Sweden
, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
, Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
, Olav V of Norway
, and George I of Greece
. Many European royals have been found to be of this mtDNA Haplogroup, in addition to Haplogroup H (mtDNA)
.
The American
outlaw Jesse James
has been shown to be of subclade T2.
}
}
}
}
Human mitochondrial genetics
Human mitochondrial genetics is the study of the genetics of the DNA contained in human mitochondria. Mitochondria are small structures in cells that generate energy for the cell to use, and are hence referred to as the "powerhouses" of the cell....
, Haplogroup T is a human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
(mtDNA) haplogroup
Haplogroup
In the study of molecular evolution, a haplogroup is a group of similar haplotypes that share a common ancestor having the same single nucleotide polymorphism mutation in both haplotypes. Because a haplogroup consists of similar haplotypes, this is what makes it possible to predict a haplogroup...
.
Known Origins
Mitochondrial (mtDNA) Haplogroup T derives from the haplogroup JTHaplogroup JT (mtDNA)
In human mitochondrial genetics, Haplogroup JT is a human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup.-Origin:A descendant of the macro-haplogroup R, Haplogroup JT is the ancestral haplogroup to mitochondrial haplogroups J and T.-Tree:...
, which also gave rise to haplogroup J
Haplogroup J (mtDNA)
In human mitochondrial genetics, Haplogroup J is a human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup.Haplogroup J derives from the haplogroup JT, which also gave rise to Haplogroup T. In his popular book The Seven Daughters of Eve, Bryan Sykes named the originator of this mtDNA haplogroup Jasmine...
. Haplogroup T is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
and/or the Fertile Crescent
Fertile Crescent
The Fertile Crescent, nicknamed "The Cradle of Civilization" for the fact the first civilizations started there, is a crescent-shaped region containing the comparatively moist and fertile land of otherwise arid and semi-arid Western Asia. The term was first used by University of Chicago...
(modern Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) approximately 45,000-50,000 years ago, and then moved northwest in to Europe (at least 10,000 years ago) and east as far as modern Pakistan and India.
In his popular book The Seven Daughters of Eve
The Seven Daughters of Eve
The Seven Daughters of Eve is a book by Bryan Sykes that presents the theory of human mitochondrial genetics to a general audience...
, Bryan Sykes
Bryan Sykes
Bryan Sykes is a former Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford and a current Fellow of Wolfson College.Sykes published the first report on retrieving DNA from ancient bone...
, who is himself in Haplogroup T, named the originator of this group "Tara," which means rocky hill in Gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
. Sykes believes that: "Tara herself lived 17,000 years ago in the northwest of Italy among the hills of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
and along the estuary of the river Arno."
The International Society of Genetic Genealogy gives the following standardized description about mtDNA Haplogroup T and two of its main subclades:
"The mitochondrial Haplogroup T is best characterized as a European lineage. With an origin in the Near East greater than 45,000 years ago, the major sub-lineages of Haplogroup T entered Europe around the time of the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
10,000 years ago. Once in Europe, these sub-lineages underwent a dramatic expansion associated with the arrival of agriculture in Europe. Today, we find Haplogroup T*, the root Haplogroup for Haplogroup T, widely distributed in Europe."
About subclade T1 they write: "The origin of Haplogroup T1 dates to at least 6,000 years ago, and today, we find Haplogroup T1 distributed in populations living in southeast, central, and northwestern Europe."
Regarding subclade T2: "Haplogroup T2 is one of the older sub-lineages and may have been present in Europe as early as the Late Upper Palaeolithic."
Current Distribution
Haplogroup T is currently found with high concentrations around the eastern Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. According to Oxford Ancestors, Haplogroup T "includes slightly fewer than 10% of modern Europeans. Its many branches are widely distributed throughout southern and western Europe with particularly high concentrations in Ireland and the west of Britain." According to the Genographic Project: "Haplogroup T has a very wide distribution, and is present as far east as the Indus Valley bordering India and Pakistan and as far south as the Arabian peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
. It is also common in eastern and northern Europe."
Early agriculturalists and pastoralists
The Genographic Project states that early people with Haplogroup T were likely some of the first organized agriculturalists and pastoralists, and that they probably comprised the group which first brought settled agriculture and pastoralism on to the European continent, bringing the "Neolithic RevolutionNeolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution was the first agricultural revolution. It was the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement. Archaeological data indicates that various forms of plants and animal domestication evolved independently in 6 separate locations worldwide circa...
" to Europe; they write: "Although the haplogroup was present during the early and middle Upper Paleolithic, [Haplogroup] T is generally considered one of the main genetic signatures of the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
expansions. While groups of hunter-gatherers and subsistence fishermen had been occupying much of Eurasia for tens of thousands of years, around ten thousand years ago a group of modern humans living in the Fertile Crescent
Fertile Crescent
The Fertile Crescent, nicknamed "The Cradle of Civilization" for the fact the first civilizations started there, is a crescent-shaped region containing the comparatively moist and fertile land of otherwise arid and semi-arid Western Asia. The term was first used by University of Chicago...
-present day eastern Turkey and northern Syria-began domesticating the plants, nuts, and seeds they had been collecting. What resulted were the world's first agriculturalists, and this new cultural era is typically referred to as the Neolithic. Groups of individuals able to support larger populations with this reliable food source began migrating out of the Middle East, bringing their new technology with them. By then, humans had already settled much of the surrounding areas, but this new agricultural technology proved too successful to ignore, and the surrounding groups quickly copied these new immigrants. Interesting, DNA data indicate that while these new agriculturalists were incredibly successful at planting their technology in the surrounding groups, they were far less successful at planting their own genetic seed. Agriculture was quickly and widely adopted, but the lineages carried by these Neolithic expansions are found at frequencies seldom greater than 20 percent in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia."
Health Issues
Some studies have shown Haplogroup T to be associated with increased risk for coronary artery disease. However, some studies have also shown that people of Haplogroup T are less prone to diabetes.A few tentative medical studies have demonstrated that Haplogroup T may offer some resistance to both Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
and Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
.
Certain medical studies had shown mitochondrial Haplogroup T to be associated with reduced sperm motility
Sperm motility
Sperm motility describes the ability of sperm to move properly towards an egg. This can also be thought of as the 'quality' of the sperm, which is a factor in successful pregnancies, as opposed to the 'quantity'. Sperm which do not properly 'swim', will not reach the egg in order to fertilize it...
in males, although these results have been challenged. According to the Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologica Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Haplogroup T represents a weak genetic background that can predispose to asthenozoospermia
Asthenozoospermia
Asthenozoospermia is the medical term for reduced sperm motility. Complete asthenozoospermia, that is, 100% immotile spermatozoa in the ejaculate, is reported at a frequency of 1 of 5000 men...
. However, these findings have been disputed.
People of mtDNA Haplogroup T
The last RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
, Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
, has been shown to be of Haplogroup T, specifically subclade T2. This was established when genetic testing was done on his remains to authenticate his identity. Assuming all relevant pedigrees are correct, this includes all female-line descendants of his female line ancestor Barbara of Celje
Barbara of Celje
Barbara of Cilli was the spouse of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and as such Holy Roman Empress. She was by marriage also Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and also Holy Roman Empress. She received the sobriquet "Messalina of Germany" for her political intrigues, and was instrumental in creating the...
(1390-1451), wife of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
. This includes a great number of European nobles, including George I of Great Britain
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
and Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
(through the Electress Sophia of Hanover
Sophia of Hanover
Sophia of the Palatinate was an heiress to the crowns of England and Ireland and later the crown of Great Britain. She was declared heiress presumptive by the Act of Settlement 1701...
), Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, George V of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Charles X Gustav also Carl Gustav, was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who...
, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
, Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...
, Olav V of Norway
Olav V of Norway
Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...
, and George I of Greece
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
. Many European royals have been found to be of this mtDNA Haplogroup, in addition to Haplogroup H (mtDNA)
Haplogroup H (mtDNA)
In human mitochondrial genetics, Haplogroup H is a human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup that likely originated in Southwest Asia 25,000-30,000 YBP.-Origin:...
.
The American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
outlaw Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
has been shown to be of subclade T2.
Tree
This phylogenetic tree of Haplogroup T subclades is based on the paper by Mannis van Oven and Manfred Kayser Updated comprehensive phylogenetic tree of global human mitochondrial DNA variation and subsequent published research.- T
- T1
- T1a
- T1b
- T2
- T2a
- T2a1
- T2a1a
- T2a1a1
- T2a1b
- T2a1a
- T2a1
- T2b
- T2b1
- T2b2
- T2b3
- T2b3a
- T2b4
- T2b5
- T2b6
- T2c
- T2c1
- T2c1a
- T2c1b
- T2c1
- T2d
- T2e
-
- T2e1
- T2e2
-
- T2f
- T2f1
- T2g
- T2a
- T1
See also
- Genealogical DNA testGenealogical DNA testA genealogical DNA test examines the nucleotides at specific locations on a person's DNA for genetic genealogy purposes. The test results are not meant to have any informative medical value and do not determine specific genetic diseases or disorders ; they are intended only to give genealogical...
- Genetic GenealogyGenetic genealogyGenetic genealogy is the application of genetics to traditional genealogy. Genetic genealogy involves the use of genealogical DNA testing to determine the level of genetic relationship between individuals.-History:...
- Human mitochondrial geneticsHuman mitochondrial geneticsHuman mitochondrial genetics is the study of the genetics of the DNA contained in human mitochondria. Mitochondria are small structures in cells that generate energy for the cell to use, and are hence referred to as the "powerhouses" of the cell....
- Population GeneticsPopulation geneticsPopulation genetics is the study of allele frequency distribution and change under the influence of the four main evolutionary processes: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation and gene flow. It also takes into account the factors of recombination, population subdivision and population...
- Haplogroup T (Y-DNA) Haplogroup T (Y-DNA)In human genetics, Haplogroup T is a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup. From 2002 to 2008, it was known as Haplogroup K2. It should not be confused with the mitochondrial DNA haplogroup T, of the same name....
External links
- General
- Ian Logan's Mitochondrial DNA Site
- Mannis van Oven's Phylotree
- The Genographic Project Public Participation Mitochondrial DNA Database
- Haplogroup T
- Discussion List at RootsWeb
- Spread of Haplogroup T, from National Geographic
- Genetic Genealogy: A Personal Perspective on Tara, Karelians and Kent, England
- Analysis of a Haplogroup T sequence (T5/T2)
- Phylogenetic Networks for the Human mtDNA Haplogroup T
- mtDNA Haplogroup T - Full Genomic Sequence Research Project
- Phylogenetic Networks for the Human mtDNA Haplogroup T
- NEW short research project/survey for women in haplogroup T
- NEW short research project/survey for men in haplogroup T
- Scientific Journal articles
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