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From: "Alfred A. Aburto Jr." <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] Malaspina et al (2001)'s Cohens -- an answer ?
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:34:48 -0700
References: <461F9F20.9010003@comcast.net><46223AAE.1020802@ucl.ac.uk> <462293CF.5090608@sbcglobal.net><4622B792.4080304@ucl.ac.uk>
In-Reply-To: <4622B792.4080304@ucl.ac.uk>


> James Heald wrote:

>The Wikipedia article now organises the data, and has links to the
>original papers:
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-chromosomal_Aaron
>
>The haplogroup numbers from Thomas et al (1998) count the number
>"xDE,PR" -- ie not in Hgs D, E, P, Q, R
>
>Behar et al (2003) have a more detailed breakdown of Cohanim numbers by
>haplotype, from a slightly enlarged sample.
>
>
>The article doesn't include Bonnie's wonderful breakthrough yet, which -
>with luck - means we may be getting close to finally getting the story
>sorted out!
>
>

Thank you for that Wikipedia reference. I haven't looked at it in a
while and it is changing and growing! Happy to see that.

Also thanks for reminding me of Behar et al (2003). Here there are 145
Ashkenazi & Sephardi Cohanim studied and 81% (118) were in haplogroup J
and 19% (27) in various other haplogroups as shown in Table 1 of that
report. Unfortunately Behar et al (2003) didn't resolve the Cohanim
component into J1 and J2! I'm sure that he has done that already but to
this date (2007) he has not published that data. That was our state of
knowledge of the Y-DNA of the Jewish Priests as of 2003.

I wanted to summarize the Hammer et al (1997) initial Cohanim study
because they broke down the Cohanim into various alleles ("haplotypes")
of DYS19 and this then relates to the CMH-6 and CMH-12 that we know today.

Hammer et al (1997) found the Cohanim (68 samples) were found (in their
coarse SNP resolution of that time) in haplogroups C and/or F in the
following percentages relative to DYS19:
DYS19A = 13? 16.2% (11)
DSY19B = 14? 54.4% (37)
DYS19C = 15? 16.2% (11)
DYS19D = 16? 8.8% (6)
DYS19E = 17? 2.9% (2)
Also 1 Cohanim sample (1.5%) was found in haplogroup D and/or E.
The DYS19A-E repeat counts have the "?" mark because I have not
confirmed they are the exact repeat counts, but I think they are right
since the modal is at DYS19=14 which we already know is correct. This
data indicates that the Jewish Priests varied, at _least_, up to 3
points in genetic distance from what we now call the CMH-6 and CMH-12
(which have DYS19=14). Of course I could be wrong with my intrepretation
of the meaning of the DYS19A-E and I will keep searching for the exact
nomenclature.
Al

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