Haplogroup L3 (mtDNA)

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Haplogroup L3
Time of origin	80000 years ago
Place of origin	Africa
Ancestor	L1
Descendants	L3a, L3b, L3c, L3d, L3e, L3f, M, N
Defining mutations	73, 7028, 10873, 11719, 12705, 14766, 16223

In human genetics, Haplogroup L3 is a human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup.

L3 is believed to have arisen between 84,000 to 104,000 years ago.^[1]

It is most common in East Africa, in contrast to sub-Saharan Africa where the haplogroups L1 and L2 represent two thirds of mtDNAs.

L3 is also sub-divided into several clades, one of which is believed to have spawned the macro-haplogroups M and N from which most non-Africans are descended.

One of these lineages, defined by loss of the DdeI site at np 10394, represents only a few percent of the African mtDNAs but appears to be the progenitor of roughly half of all European, Asian and Native American mtDNAs."^[2]

[edit] References

^ Tishkoff et al., Whole-mtDNA Genome Sequence Analysis of Ancient African Lineages, Mol. Biol. Evol, 24(3):757-68. 2007
^ Wallace et al., Mitochondrial DNA variation in human evolution and disease, Gene, 1999 Sep 30;238(1):211-30