Y-chromosome DNA haplotype 15 in Europe.

Haplotype 15 at 1 Y-chromosome-specific DNA polymorphism (p49/TaqI) was reported in a meta-analysis concerning 2418 males originating from 28 different geographic locations in Western Europe. The highest frequency of haplotype 15 (72.2%) was observed in French Basques, and it was previously deduced that this haplotype is the ancestral haplotype in Europe (Lucotte and Hazout 1996). Percentages of haplotype 15 geographic distribution show another high frequency in northwestern Europeans and a gradient of decreasing frequencies toward southeastern and peripheral countries. These results suggest that frequencies of haplotype 15 of the Y chromosome are useful to study the contribution of pre-Neolithic males to the present-day populations of Europe.