Haplogroup J2 in the Maronites of Lebanon

A recent paper by the genographic consortium, Influences of History, Geography and Religion on Genetic Structure: The Maronites of Lebanon, demonstrates again the ancient and deep link between Haplogroup J2 and Lebanon. M172, Haplogroup J2 was the most frequent haplogroup found in all 3 Lebanese groups-Lebanese Muslims, Orthodox and Maronites. The frequency of Haplogroup J2 in the Lebanese Maronite community was 34.74%, one of the highest frequencies of M172 published to date. The study also showed however that Haplogroup J2 was found in 26.23% of Lebanese Muslims and 25.85% of Lebanese Greek Orthodox also being the most frequent haplogroup in these respective communities. The aim of the study was to describe the genetic structure of Lebanon and the effect of how social history may have contributed to genetic differentiation between these Lebanese religious groups. While the study did show some minor variance between the communities genetic structure, it revealed no significant distinction of major haplogroups. Supplemental data however did show that J2-M172 with DYS 391=9, often a characteristic of the L70 subclade of YCC Haplogroup J2a4h was almost completely limited to the Lebanese Christian population.


The Maronite community in Lebanon dates back to the 5th Century and is among the first Christian communities in the Near East. The liturgical language of the Maronite Church is Aramaic (Syriac). Their initial settlements were in the Mountains of Lebanon where they remained relatively isolated until the time of the Crusades. They are one of the largest Christian sects in Lebanon. The very high presence of Haplogroup J2-M172 among Maronites strongly suggests J2 was among the founding lineages of the community.

New L267 SNP may define distinct cluster of J2a4

Family Tree DNA's Walk Through the Y program has yielded hundreds of new SNP's that are helping to define the Y-Chromosome Tree. One such SNP, named L267 was recently found in a participant in the program whose paternal origin lies in Calabria, Southern Italy. The mutation, an A to G transition at position 2948591 on the Y chromosome is thus far, unique to this participant. The mutation was not found in other participants from other J2a4 subclades, J2-M67 and J2-L25 (rs34534058). Thus, it appears L267 could define a subclade under J2a4.

Similar haplotypes come largely from Eastern Anatolia and Armenia indicative of the possibility of a more recent spread from Anatolia to Italy for this cluster. The cluster can be viewed in the Haplogroup J project's results identified as J2a4 Cluster C. Further testing of this SNP is in progress.

Additional SNP's have also been identified in J2a4h (L25) including L192.2, L229, L230, L231, L243, L254 and L264 which so far look to define clusters within this subclade of J2, M172.

Indian Muslim population shows genetic affinity with non-Muslim Indian Geographic Neighbours

A 2009 study by India's National DNA Analysis Centre shows Indian Muslims display a genetic affinity with their neighbouring Non-Muslim populations along with low levels of Arabian, Central Asian and Iranian admixture. The study sampled 431 Indian Muslims from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The results showed distinctions between the Muslim communities based on geographic origins and a greater affinity to their neighbouring non-muslims than to each other. However, the study also does note a contribution to the genetic structure of Indian Muslims coming from Iranian and Arabian populaitons. The study does show some distinctive Y-DNA haplogroup frequencies especially in Haplogroup J:


Most noteworthy were the J2, J2a and JxJ2 frequencies of the Indian Shia population which were substantially higher than those of Indian Non-Muslims.

The spread of Islam in India was predominantly cultural conversion association with minor but still detectable levels of gene flow from outside, primarily from Iran and Central Asia, rather than directly from the Arabian Peninsula.

Traces of sub-Saharan and Middle Eastern lineages in Indian Muslim populations

Phylogeographic Analysis of Paternal Lineages in NE Portuguese Jewish Communities

ABSTRACT

The establishment of Jewish communities in the territory of contemporary Portugal is archaeologically documented since the 3rd century CE, but their settlement in Tra´s-os-Montes (NE Portugal) has not been proved before the 12th century. The Decree of Expulsion followed by the establishment of the Inquisition, both around the beginning of the 16th century, accounted for a significant exodus, as well as the establishment of crypto-Jewish communities. Previous Y chromosome studies have shown that different Jewish communities share a common origin in the Near East, although they can be quite heterogeneous as a consequence of genetic drift and different levels of admixture with their respective host populations. To characterize the genetic composition of the Portuguese Jewish communities from Tra´s-os-Montes, we have examined 57 unrelated Jewish males, with a high-resolution Y-chromosome typing strategy, comprising 16 STRs and 23 SNPs. A high lineage diversity was found, at both haplotype and haplogroup levels (98.74 and 82.83%, respectively), demonstrating the absence of either strong drift or founder effects. A deeper and more detailed investigation is required to clarify how these communities avoided the expected inbreeding caused by over four centuries of religious repression. Concerning haplogroup lineages, we detected some admixture with the Western European non-Jewish populations (R1b1b2-M269, 28%), along with a strong ancestral component reflecting their origin in the Middle East [J1(xJ1a-M267), 12%; J2-M172, 25%; T-M70, 16%] and in consequence Tra´s-os-Montes Jews were found to be more closely related with other Jewish groups, rather than with the Portuguese non-Jewish population.

The Portuguese NE Jews display a much closer genetic relation to Jewish populations of Europe and the Middle East, especially other Sephardic groups, than to the Portuguese population. However, it should be pointed out that the high frequencies of haplogroup R1b1b2, less frequent in other Jewish populations, indicate a significant level of admixture with non-Jewish Iberian populations.

Link

Family Tree DNA's Walk the Y yields new SNP's for Haplogroup J2

A program by Family Tree DNA, Walk through the Y, was set up late last year to allow customers to search for new SNP's or branches to their respective Y-DNA haplogroups. Recent testing on a number of Haplogroup J2 participants has yielded 9 new SNP's, many of which will prove to be phylogenetically informative in branching current subclades. Below is a list of SNP's found to date:

• L207.1 A6813448G found in J-L70 and J-L25 participants. May be synonomous with J-L24 or L25.
• L210 A15001591T found in one J-M67 participant.
• L212 T21120853C found in J-M67 and J-L25 participants.
• L218 deletion at 20199329 found in J-M67 participant.
• L227 C6919963T found in J-M67 participant.
• L228 C7831358T found in J-M67 and J-L25 participants.
• L229 C6813447T found in one J-L25 participant, ancestral in another.
• L230 G20327921A found in one J-L25 participant, ancestral in another
• L231 C13524835G found in one J-L25 participant, ancestral in J-M67.

It is likely more SNP's will be found as a more thorough analysis of the results has yet to be done. Also, results from other J2 participants have yet to arrive. SNP's can be used to determine the branchin within the Y-Chromosome tree and it is likely some of these SNP's will determine new terminal branches under J-M67 and J-L25.

Saudi Arabian Y Chromosome Diversity and its Relationship with Nearby Regions

A new provisional study by Dr. Khalad Abu-Amero et al takes a detailed look at the genetic makeup of Saudi Arabians and provides a comparison with its geographical neighbours. Saudi Arabia has long been unsurveyed from a Y Chromosome Perspective and while many areas of the Middle East have been well studied, this new paper does shed light on the distribution of haplogroups in the Arabian Peninsula. Haplogroup J1, M267 was most frequent overall, representing 40% of the Y Chromosome samples. The authors are quick to note however, that Saudi Arabia is distinguished from its neighbours by higher levels of M172, Haplogroup J2. Haplogroup J2 was the second most frequent haplogroup found in the Study sample, representing 15.92% of the total. These J2 lineages were also tested for subclades M410, M47, M67, M92, M158, M339, M340, M12 and M241. The most frequent subclade of J2 was J2a, M410+ with the deletion at DYS 413 (rs34126399), which represented about 72% of all J2 in the study. M47 was also detected at 2.55% of the total or 16% of the J2 total. The higher levels of J2 found in Saudi Arabia were explained by the study's authors as being a result of Saudi Arabia's geographical proximity to the Fertile Crescent and northern boundary with the Levant. With respect to Haplogroup J1, the authors estimate, using a 0.00069 mutation rate, divergence ages for M267 at 11.2kya for Saudi Arabia and 11.3kya for Yemen, also noting these ages as significantly older than estimates for UAE, Qatar and Oman. This suggested a terrestrial colonization and spread of Haplogroup J1 in Saudi Arabia.

Link

Y chomosome Genetic Landscape of the Levant

A new study of Y chromosome haplogroup distribution in the Levant, appearing in the Annals of Human Genetics, establishes a complex pattern of haplogroup distribution, especially with haplogroups J1 and J2, and theorizes on a coastal-inland contrast differentiating J1 and J2 in the Levant. The study included the DNA of 5874 men from the Levant and neighbouring regions, and the results established a coastal-inland, east-west pattern of diversity and frequency distribution within the Levant. The study again shows the most frequent haplogroup in Lebanon is Haplogroup J2, with a frequency of 29.4%. In the South of Syria, in the cities of Damascus and Diraa, J2 was present at frequencies of 24% and 83.3% respectively. In Lebanon, J2 was found in its highest frequencies at Zahle (37.5%) in the Bekaa Valley and at Byblos (36.4%).

Haplogroup J1 was revealed to show a larger frequency but lower diversity in inland regions of the Levant. The authors note most of the interior, where higher frequencies of J1 were found, were arid with semi-desert conditions which support a lower population diversity. Consistent with previous analyses, coastal Levantine regions showed a high frequency of Haplogroup J2.

"The diversified J2 reduced-median network and high coastal frequency suggest a sustained and non-interrupted presence of this haplogroup along the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean"

Geographical Structure of the Y-Chromosomal Genetic Landscape of the Levant: A coastal-inland contrast