Haplogroup L4

Haplogroup L4 is a human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup. It is a small maternal clade primarily restricted to Africa.^[2]

Projected spatial frequency distribution for haplogroup L4.

Schematic tree of mtDNA haplogroup L4. Ages (in ka) indicated are maximum likelihood estimates obtained for the whole-mtDNA genome.

Haplogroup L4
Possible time of origin	90–80 kya
Possible place of origin	East Africa
Ancestor	L3'4
Descendants	L4a, L4b
Defining mutations	5460, 16362[1]

L4 is important in East Africa. The highest frequencies are in Tanzania among the Hadza at 60-83% and Sandawe at 48%.^[3]

It has two branches, L4a and L4b. Subgroup L4a was formerly called L7 and considered a separate subclade of L3'4'7. It has been recognized as a subclade of L4, with L3 as its outgroup by Behar et al. (2008).^[4] The parent clade L3'4 is to have emerged at 106–66 kya.^[5] L4 is not much later than this, estimated at 87 kya by Fernandes et al. (2015).^[6]

Phylogeny

The following phylogeny is based on van Oven and Kayser (2008).^[1]

• L3'4
  • L4
    • L4a (formerly known as L7), mutations: 195C, 3357, 5460, 10373, 11253, 11344, 11485, 12414, 13174, 14302, 16260.
      • L4a1
        • L4a1a
      • L4a2
    • L4b, mutations: 709, 3918.
      • L4b1
      • L4b2 (formerly known as L3g or L4g)
        • L4b2a
          • L4b2a1
          • L4b2a2
            • L4b2a2a
            • L4b2a2b
        • L4b2b