The emerging tree of west Eurasian mtDNAs: a synthesis on control-region sequences and RFLPs

An analysis based on two systems for describing the human mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) has been carried out using 95 samples from the Near East and northwest Caucasus. One procedure is assaying restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) all through the genome and the other is sequencing of parts of the control region (CR). The concordance of the two systems has been demonstrated. Variation in mtDNA is used to infer histories of peoples. The most refined phylogeny so far found for west Eurasian mtDNA has been presented and a nomenclature described and applied for mtDNA clusters. Hypervariable nucleotides have been identified. Relative mutation rates of the two systems have been evaluated with ambiguities identified. Berber speakers were sampled and a identification of signature mutations for each cluster led to a hierarchical scheme for finding cluster composition. The main indigenous North African cluster is a sister group to the most ancient cluster of European mRNAs. It diverged about 50,000 years ago.