Description
Haplogroup R0 is a major subclade of R that gave rise to HV — the common ancestor of H and V, two of the most important European mtDNA haplogroups. R0 is itself found predominantly in the Near East and Arabian Peninsula, where it persists as a pre-HV lineage. In addition to being the ancestor of HV (which gave rise to H, the dominant European haplogroup), R0 is the direct parent of several Near Eastern and Arabian Peninsula lineages. Its frequency is highest in Yemeni, Saudi, and other Arabian populations, reaching up to 30–40% in some studies, making R0 one of the most common mtDNA lineages in the Arabian Peninsula.
Interesting Fact
R0 (formerly called 'pre-HV') is the immediate ancestor of the HV lineage that eventually gave rise to haplogroup H — the dominant maternal haplogroup in Europe carried by ~40–50% of European women today. This means every European woman who carries H or V traces her maternal ancestry through R0, making it one of the most consequential branching points in the maternal history of Eurasians.
Distribution by Ethnicity
| Ethnic distribution | Region | Frequency | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yemenis | Arabian Peninsula | n=200 | |
| Saudis | Arabian Peninsula | n=250 | |
| Omanis | Arabian Peninsula | n=200 | |
| Iranians | Middle East | n=300 | |
| Ethiopians | East Africa | n=200 |
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References
- Soares et al. (2010) — The archaeogenetics of Europe. Current Biology 20(4), R174–R183.
- Abu-Amero et al. (2008) — Mitochondrial DNA structure in the Arabian Peninsula. BMC Evolutionary Biology 8, 45.
- Kivisild et al. (2004) — Ethiopian mitochondrial DNA heritage: tracking gene flow across and around the gate of tears. American Journal of Human Genetics 75(5), 752–770.