Please see front ("Background") page for news!
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Rare SNP found in project member
Project member 110692 has received Deep Clade SNP test results showing that he is positive for the M68 SNP. This is the first time it's been found (to my knowledge) in genetic genealogy. All the previous known cases were in published scientific papers, from Underhill (2000) and Semino (2002): one person from Tajikistan, two Iraqis, and one Hindu. Our project member is from India, a member of the Syrian Nasrani Christians of Kerala. Their traditions point to Middle Eastern, Jewish origins. We hope to learn more about the distribution and implications of M68+ as more people take the Deep Clade SNP tests.
Older news -- when the new SNPs were first appearing
New SNPs recently added to the chip used by 23andMe in their test show evidence that they could correspond with the two major branchings in the J2 tree that have been lacking a SNP to define them. Dr. Roy King of Stanford confirmed on the Spittoon blog, in answer to my queries,that the rs34126399 SNP corresponds, according to their findings at Stanford, to the DYS413 deletion that has, until now, defined J2a1.
Now, we have learned that a member of pre-J2a1h is positive for another SNP, rs35248080, which was found to be negative in the sample of Dr. King, who belongs to J2a1b (cluster A). This would indicate that rs35248080 could define the whole large branch of J2 that includes J2a1h and pre-J2a1h.
Now, what we need are more test results! I hope J2a1*, pre-J2a1h, and J2a1h project members will step forward to have the 23andMe test done (after careful consideration of its merits and possible risks), which will greatly expand our knowledge!
Update -- Sept. 2008
This news page hasn't been used in a while, but there have been developments all along. Our project has grown to over 580 members. The introduction of many new SNPs by FTDNA has allowed us to see a lot of new structure in the haplogroup.
Recently, tests of M319 in J2 have revealed that the clade it defines, J2a1e or J2a8, is much more substantial than had been supposed by most of us. This was thought to be a rare group, but in a short time, the modest number of people who have been tested have resulted in seven members who are positive for it, plus two close matches. A number were not originally project members, but have joined after their results arrived.
The amazing thing about this cluster is how diverse its marker values are. The various members' haplotypes do not show a recent common origin, but are so varied as to suggest quite an old age for this clade. There are certainly common elements, but also some wide divergence.
The most distinctive trait of these M319+ haplotypes is their 16 at DYS413a. We hope that everyone in J2 who has that marker value will order the newly extended Deep Clade SNP tests to confirm their membership in this exciting new group!
Meanwhile research continues on the groups defined by the markers DYS445 and 450. Al Aburto and David Dugas, project members who belong to pre-J2a1h, have worked ceaselessly to explore its characteristics and distribution. They have recruited many new members to the project, and subsidized their testing. These test results, especially when the new members pitch in by upgrading to 37 or 67 markers, allow us to gain a much better picture of the cluster's modal values, which in turn makes it possible to predict more accurately which haplotypes are the best candidates for membership in it.
July 6th, 2007
We have reached a milestone of 300 members! Thanks to all who have joined!
May - June
Research update:
Many people have been joining the project recently! We welcome this development! :-)
If you have recently joined, and have not been in touch with the project administrator to discuss your objectives and interests, please do get in touch! We can't always guess what you have in mind.
There's a research project going on that a lot of our new members are involved in, and we can use more help with it, both from old and new members of the J project.
New clusters and subclades are being discovered and defined, and we're trying to sort out how they are related to eachother.
The J2a1k clade was discovered some time ago by project Admin. Bonnie Schrack and advisor Whit Athey, defined by the deletion at DYS445 that results in a value of 6 at that marker. DYS445 is not included among the 67 markers normally tested. It must be ordered separately as an advanced test. This costs $6.20 plus a one-time DNA transfer fee of $9.50 to have your sample sent to the new Houston lab.
In addition to the 6 at 445, we have now found that the DYS450 marker, found in the 67-marker test panel, also has a distinct value in J2a1k: 9. The rest of the J haplogroup normally has a value of 8.
But we have also found that another group of people have the same 9 at DYS450. They are closely related to the "J2a1k with 391=10" cluster, but this newly recognized cluster has 10 at DYS445, rather than 6.
Borrowing a concept from the mtDNA phylogenetic tree, we are calling this cluster "Pre-J2a1k." A good hypothesis is that it represents an intermediate step in the divergence of the J2a1k clade from the main body of J2a1. Most J2a1 have a value of 12 at DYS445.
We're seeking more project members whose haplotype suggests they might be members of either J2a1k with DYS391=10, or Pre-J2a1k, who would be willing to test DYS445.
This would help us understand the relationship of these clusters, their history, and Y-chromosome structure. Those who are in the process of this testing will be listed under the category, "J2a1k/Pre-k testing."
A considerable group of the members of the Pre-J2a1k cluster are Jewish Cohanim, but the cluster has members of other backgrounds as well, which we are eager to learn more about. Anyone who is willing to help with this research, if your haplotype seems to belong in this group, please write and tell us about your geographical and ethnic background.
Members from the Middle East are particularly welcome, as this is the the original homeland of the J haplogroup. Finding a particular Y haplotype represented in a Middle Eastern country can give us significant information about the origins, distribution, and history of the clade it belongs to.
There is enormous controversy regarding the distribution of the Jewish Cohanim (hereditary priestly caste) among the clades of the J haplogroup, and their origins. A number of interested people have come together to work on clarifying this question. We'll be attempting to make a real contribution, solidly based on evidence rather than any preconceived ideasa, though we don't have the advantage of research grants to enable testing of a large, random sample of Cohanim.
It would be a real contribution if every project member who has a family tradition of being Cohanim would write to the project administrator at the email given, to allow this data to be compiled and analyzed. This information will not be displayed on the website, but if the haplotype matches either the known J1 cluster or the new one in J2, it will be placed in that cluster as appropriate.
Other news includes:
* A second member of the extremely rare J1b subclade has been found, and we would very much like to find more! If anyone can be found whose haplotype matches one of these, we would certainly like to have them in the project!
*More members are confirmed to belong to the rare J2a* group, which has values higher than 19 at DYS413, but is not in J2b. This is a fascinating group! There is a good deal of diversity in it. Anyone whose SNP test shows they are M172+, M12-, and have values higher than 19 at DYS413, is very likely to be a member. We would like to hear from you.
*A third member of the rare J2b1b (J2e2) clade has joined the project. More are always welcome.
October 24
Accumulating data show that known and suspected members of the J2a1k clade, which is being studied by Admin. Bonnie Schrack and project advisor Whit Athey, have values of 9 at the marker DYS450 (included in the 67-marker test). Almost all non-J2a1k members of the J haplogroup have 8 at this marker. If you have a 9 at this marker and have not yet tested DYS445, which defines J2a1k, please order it from the Advanced Tests page today! Help us confirm or disprove this hypothesis.
To order Advanced Tests, just go to your personal page, and click on "ORDER TESTS OR CERTIFICATES." Then click on "Advanced Orders."
August 1st
The Most Distant Ancestor field is now displayed on the test results chart. You can find this field at the bottom of your Setup Preferences page. Please fill in the name of your most distant known paternal ancestor, and share anything you know about the place of origin and ethnic background of his lineage.
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