Mitochondrial DNA is passed from the mother to each of her children, male and female. Only daughters will pass it on to their children. As such it is a unique tracer of ancestry along the matrilineal line. Occasional mutations act like bread-crumbs along this time-line and can highlight inter-relationships and branching patterns of descendant lines.

What are Haplogroups

Genetic studies have revealed the major branches from our common female ancestor, some 200,000 years ago. The major branching points have been given names in the form of letters, “A”, “B”, “C”, etc. Subsequent sub-branches are named using the convention of alternating numbers and letters. An example would be H2a1, which indicates three further branching points below the primary haplogroup H. The complete set of branches from the inferred original mtDNA sequence is called the Phylotree.

My Haplogroup - H37

In the last 20 years sequencing mtDNA has improved to the point where full-sequences are now cheap and easy to obtain. Previous sequencing concentrated on the highly variable regions, named HVR1 and HVR2. The original phylotree was constructed some 20 years ago based on the HVR1 and HVR2 regions. This was revised as the result of the increased number of full-sequence samples available and the result is the current standard phylotree of 2014.

However since that phylotree was published more full-sequence has become available and it is apparent that more branches remain to the documented. H37 is one of those.

Hank de Wit

Contents

Mitochondrial DNA

How is it inherited

What are Haplogroups

My Haplogroup - H37

My construction of H37

mtDNA Haplogroup H37 Blog