Haplogroup L4

Haplogroup L4
Haplogroup L4
Possible time of origin	90–80 kya
Possible place of origin	East Africa, West Asia
Ancestor	L3'4
Descendants	L4a, L4b
Defining mutations	5460, 16362

Haplogroup L4 is a human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup. It is a somewhat uncommon maternal clade primarily found in East Africa, and West Asia.^[2]

L4 is important in East Africa. The highest frequencies are in Tanzania among the Hadza at 60-83% and Sandawe at 48%.^[3]

It has two branches, L4a and L4b. Subgroup L4a was formerly called L7 and considered a separate subclade of L3'4'7. It has been recognized as a subclade of L4, with L3 as its outgroup by Behar et al. (2008).^[4]The parent clade L3'4 is to have emerged at 106–66 kya.^[5] L4 is not much later than this, estimated at 87 kya by Fernandes et al. (2015).^[6]

Phylogeny

The following phylogeny is based on van Oven and Kayser (2008).^[1]

L3'4
- L4
  - L4a (formerly known as L7), mutations: 195C, 3357, 5460, 10373, 11253, 11344, 11485, 12414, 13174, 14302, 16260.
    - L4a1
      - L4a1a
    - L4a2
  - L4b, mutations: 709, 3918.
    - L4b1
    - L4b2 (formerly known as L3g or L4g)
      - L4b2a
        L4b2a1
        L4b2a2
        L4b2a2a
        L4b2a2b
      - L4b2b