SRY基因在人猿超科和旧大陆猴中具有不同的进化规律

通过ＰＣＲ扩增、测序,得到了白臀叶猴和红面猴的ＳＲＹ基因全序列。结合现有的灵长类其他物种序列进行分析,验证了ＨＭＧ盒的保守性。通过构建系统发育树,比较旧大陆猴和人猿超科两个类群内和类群间ＨＭＧ盒侧翼序列Ｋａ／Ｋｓ的比率。有趣的是,人猿超科两物种比较呈现较高的Ｋａ／Ｋｓ比值,但在旧大陆猴中及旧大陆猴与狨猴间的Ｋａ／Ｋｓ比值显著低于人猿超科的,呈现很不同的格局。同时,对于ＨＭＧ盒序列,Ｋａ／Ｋｓ比值在     

Alu家族在4种旧世界猴基因组中的特征

为了揭示转座子对旧世界猴基因组多样性和进化的影响,基于Repbase数据库和RepeatMasker比较了4种旧世界猴——东非狒狒Papio anubis、猕猴Macaca mulatta、绿猴Chlorocebus sabaeus和长鼻猴Nasalis larvatus基因组中转座子的特征,重点关注Alu家族的组成、插入/缺失多态性Alu位点和物种特有Alu插入。结果显示,4个基因组中短散在重复序列拷贝数最丰富,平均分歧率最小,其中灵长目Primates特有的Alu逆转座子的拷贝数超过了100万个(长鼻猴除外)。4个基因组中转座子的基本组成和分布与它们的进化关系相吻合,东非狒狒和猕猴的转座子特征相似,二者与绿猴、长鼻猴有较大差异。通过基因组的两两比较,鉴定了大量在4个基因组间具有插入/缺失多态性的Alu位点,以及7 882个各物种特有的Alu位点,95%以上的物种特有位点都属于AluY家族。研究结果揭示了Alu的转座活动对于旧世界猴动物基因组的进化及多样性具有重要影响。     

The Genomes of Oryza sativa: A History of Duplications

We report improved whole-genome shotgun sequences for the genomes of indica and japonica rice, both with multimegabase contiguity, or almost 1,000-fold improvement over the drafts of 2002. Tested against a nonredundant collection of 19,079 full-length cDNAs, 97.7% of the genes are aligned, without fragmentation, to the mapped super-scaffolds of one or the other genome. We introduce a gene identification procedure for plants that does not rely on similarity to known genes to remove erroneous predictions resulting from transposable elements. Using the available EST data to adjust for residual errors in the predictions, the estimated gene count is at least 38,000–40,000. Only 2%–3% of the genes are unique to any one subspecies, comparable to the amount of sequence that might still be missing. Despite this lack of variation in gene content, there is enormous variation in the intergenic regions. At least a quarter of the two sequences could not be aligned, and where they could be aligned, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rates varied from as little as 3.0 SNP/kb in the coding regions to 27.6 SNP/kb in the transposable elements. A more inclusive new approach for analyzing duplication history is introduced here. It reveals an ancient whole-genome duplication, a recent segmental duplication on Chromosomes 11 and 12, and massive ongoing individual gene duplications. We find 18 distinct pairs of duplicated segments that cover 65.7% of the genome; 17 of these pairs date back to a common time before the divergence of the grasses. More important, ongoing individual gene duplications provide a never-ending source of raw material for gene genesis and are major contributors to the differences between members of the grass family.     

Female reproductive cycles and birth data from an Old World Monkey colony

Observations on reproductive cycles and births for a variety of captive Old World monkey species are reported. The majority of the subjects have been group living animals, housed with conspecifics in large outdoor compounds. Reproductive cycles were measured by notation of changes in the degree of female sex skin swellings. Three types of cycles are distinguished: estrus, intrapregnancy, and pubertal. Cycle length periods and the duration of the period of swelling are described for each cycle type. Birth distributions are analyzed for the occurrence of seasonality, and a marked seasonal effect tied to the onset of cycling in pubescent females is noted. The influence of a group formation effect on the timing of the reproductive season in one species is discussed.     

Lineage-Specific Duplication and Loss of Pepsinogen Genes in Hominoid Evolution

Fourteen different pepsinogen-A cDNAs and one pepsinogen-C cDNA have been cloned from gastric mucosa of the orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus. Encoded pepsinogens A were classified into two groups, i.e., types A1 and A2, which are different in acidic character. The occurrence of 9 and 5 alleles of A1 and A2 genes (at least 5 and 3 loci), respectively was anticipated. Respective orthologous genes are present in the chimpanzee genome although their copy numbers are much smaller than those of the orangutan genes. Only A1 genes are present in the human probably due to the loss of the A2 gene. Molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that A1 and A2 genes diverged before the speciation of great hominoids. Further reduplications of respective genes occurred several times in the orangutan lineage, with much higher frequencies than those occurred in the chimpanzee and human lineages. The rates of non-synonymous substitutions were higher than those of synonymous ones in the lineage of A2 genes, implying the contribution of the positive selection on the encoded enzymes. Several sites of pepsin moieties were indeed found to be under positive selection, and most of them locate on the surface of the molecule, being involved in the conformational flexibility. Deduced from the known genomic structures of pepsinogen-A genes of primates and other mammals, the duplication/loss were frequent during their evolution. The extreme multiplication in the orangutan might be advantageous for digestion of herbaceous foods due to the increase in the level of enzymes in stomach and the diversification of enzyme specificity.     

Evolution of the pseudoautosomal boundary in Old World monkeys and great apes

Mammalian sex chromosomes are divided into sex-specific and pseudoautosomal regions. Sequences in the pseudoautosomal region recombine between the sex chromosomes; the sex-specific sequences normally do not. The interface between sex-specific and pseudoautosomal sequences is the pseudoautosomal boundary. The boundary is the centromeric limit to recombination in the pseudoautosomal region. In man, an Alu repeat element is found inserted at the boundary on the Y chromosome. In the evolutionary comparison conducted here, the Alu repeat element is found at the Y boundary in great apes, but it is not found there in two Old World monkeys. During the evolution of the Old World monkey and great ape lineages, homology between the sex chromosomes was maintained by recombination in the sequences telomeric to the Alu insertion site. The Alu repeat element did not create the present-day boundary; instead, it inserted at the preexisting boundary after the Old World monkey and great ape lineages diverged.     

Evolution of the antiretroviral restriction factor TRIMCyp in Old World primates

The retroviral restriction factor TRIMCyp, which is a fusion protein derived from the TRIM5 gene, blocks replication at a post-entry step. Among Old World primates, TRIMCyp has been found in four species of Asian macaques, but not in African monkeys. To further define the evolutionary origin of Old World TRIMCyp, we examined two species of baboons (genus Papio) and three additional macaque species, including M. sylvanus, which is the only macaque species found outside Asia, and represents the earliest diverging branch of the macaque lineage. None of four P. cynocephalus anubis, one P. hamadryas, and 36 M. sylvanus had either TRIMCyp mRNA or the genetic features required for its expression. M. sylvanus genomic sequences indicated that the lack of TRIMCyp in this species was not due to genetic homogeneity among specimens studied and revealed the existence of four TRIM5α alleles, all distinct from M. mulatta and Papio counterparts. Together with existing data on macaque evolution, our findings indicate that TRIMCyp evolved in the ancestors of Asian macaques approximately 5-6 million years before present (ybp), likely as a result of a retroviral threat. TRIMCyp then became fixed in the M. nemestrina lineage after it diverged from M. nigra, approximately 2 million ybp. The macaque lineage is unique among primates studied so far due to the presence and diversity of both TRIM5 and TRIMCyp restriction factors. Studies of these antiviral proteins may provide valuable information about natural antiviral mechanisms, and give further insight into the factors that shaped the evolution of macaque species.     

A Comparative Approach Shows Differences in Patterns of Numt Insertion During Hominoid Evolution

Nuclear integrations of mitochondrial DNA (numts) are widespread among eukaryotes, although their prevalence differs greatly among taxa. Most knowledge of numt evolution comes from analyses of whole-genome sequences of single species or, more recently, from genomic comparisons across vast phylogenetic distances. Here we employ a comparative approach using human and chimpanzee genome sequence data to infer differences in the patterns and processes underlying numt integrations. We identified 66 numts that have integrated into the chimpanzee nuclear genome since the human–chimp divergence, which is significantly greater than the 37 numts observed in humans. By comparing these closely related species, we accurately reconstructed the preintegration target site sequence and deduced nucleotide changes associated with numt integration. From >100 species-specific numts, we quantified the frequency of small insertions, deletions, duplications, and instances of microhomology. Most human and chimpanzee numt integrations were accompanied by microhomology and short indels of the kind typically observed in the nonhomologous end-joining pathway of DNA double-strand break repair. Human-specific numts have integrated into regions with a significant deficit of transposable elements; however, the same was not seen in chimpanzees. From a separate data set, we also found evidence for an apparent increase in the rate of numt insertions in the last common ancestor of humans and the great apes using a polymerase chain reaction–based screen. Last, phylogenetic analyses indicate that mitochondrial-numt alignments must be at least 500 bp, and preferably >1 kb in length, to accurately reconstruct hominoid phylogeny and recover the correct point of numt insertion. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Gene Duplications and Evolution of Vertebrate Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels

Voltage-gated sodium channels underlie action potential generation in excitable tissue. To establish the evolutionary mechanisms that shaped the vertebrate sodium channel α-subunit (SCNA) gene family and their encoded Na_v1 proteins, we identified all SCNA genes in several teleost species. Molecular cloning revealed that teleosts have eight SCNA genes, compared to ten in another vertebrate lineage, mammals. Prior phylogenetic analyses have indicated that the genomes of both teleosts and tetrapods contain four monophyletic groups of SCNA genes, and that tandem duplications expanded the number of genes in two of the four mammalian groups. However, the number of genes in each group varies between teleosts and tetrapods, suggesting different evolutionary histories in the two vertebrate lineages. Our findings from phylogenetic analysis and chromosomal mapping of Danio rerio genes indicate that tandem duplications are an unlikely mechanism for generation of the extant teleost SCNA genes. Instead, analyses of other closely mapped genes in D. rerio as well as of SCNA genes from several teleost species all support the hypothesis that a whole-genome duplication was involved in expansion of the SCNA gene family in teleosts. Interestingly, despite their different evolutionary histories, mRNA analyses demonstrated a conservation of expression patterns for SCNA orthologues in teleosts and tetrapods, suggesting functional conservation. Electronic Supplementary Material Electronic Supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users. [Reviewing Editor: Dr. Axel Meyer]     

Evolution of the Hominoid Semenogelin Genes,the Major Proteins of Ejaculated Semen

The hominoid primates (apes and humans) exhibit remarkable diversity in their social and sexual behavioral systems. This is reflected in many ways in their anatomy and physiology. For example, the testes and seminal vesicles are relatively large in species with high sperm competition like the chimpanzee and small in species with low or no sperm competition like the gorilla. Additionally, the chimpanzee is the only hominoid primate known to produce a firm copulatory plug, which presumably functions in sperm competition by blocking insemination of subsequent males. Here we examine the molecular evolution of the semenogelin genes (SEMG1 and SEMG2), which code for the predominant structural proteins in human semen. High molecular weight complexes of these proteins are responsible for the viscous gelatinous consistency of human semen; their rodent homologs are responsible for the formation of a firm copulatory plug. Chimpanzees have an expanded SEMG1 gene caused by duplications of tandem repeats, each encoding 60 amino acids, resulting in a protein nearly twice as long as that of humans. In contrast, at both SEMG1 and SEMG2 we observed several gorilla haplotypes that contain at least one premature stop codon. We suggest that these structural changes in the semenogelin proteins that have arisen since the human–chimpanzee–gorilla split may be responsible for the physiological differences between these species ejaculated semen that correlate with their sociosexual behavior. Present address: (Jensen-Seaman) Human and Molecular Genetics Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA     

The Structure and Evolution of Subtelomeric Y'' Repeats in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

The subtelomeric Y' family of repeated DNA sequences in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is of unknown origin and function. Y's vary in copy number and location among strains. Eight Y's, from two strains, were cloned and sequenced over the same 3.2-kb interval in order to assess the within- and between-strain variation as well as address their origin and function. One entire Y' sequence was reconstructed from two clones presented here and a previously sequenced 833-bp region. It contains two large overlapping open reading frames (ORFs). The putative protein sequences have no strong homologies to any known proteins except for one region that has 27% identity with RNA helicases. RNA homologous to each ORF was detected. Comparison of the sequences revealed that the known long (Y'-L) and short (Y'-S) size classes, which coexist within cells, differ by several insertions and/or deletions within this region. The Y'-Ls from strain Y55 also differ from those of strain YP1 by several short deletions in the same region. Most of these deletions appear to have occurred between short (2-10 bp) direct repeats. The single base pair polymorphisms and the deletions are clustered in the first half of the interval compared. There is 0.30-1.13% divergence among Y'-Ls within a strain and 1.15-1.75% divergence between strains in the interval. This is similar to known unique sequence variation but contrasts with the 8-18% divergence among the adjacent subtelomeric repeats, X. Subsets of Y's exhibit concerted evolution; however, more than one variant appears to be maintained within strains. The observed sequence variation disrupts the first ORF in many Y's while most of the second ORF including the putative helicase region is unaffected. The structure and distribution of the Y' elements are consistent with having originated as a mobile element. However, they now appear to move via recombination. Recombination can account for the homogenization within subsets of Y's but does not account for the maintenance of different variants.     

Palate Variation and Evolution in New World Leaf-Nosed and Old World Fruit Bats (Order Chiroptera)

Two bat families, the leaf-nosed (Phyllostomidae) and fruit bats (Pteropodidae), have independently evolved the ability to consume plant resources. However, despite their similar ages, species richness and the strong selective pressures placed on the evolution of skull shape by plant-based foods, phyllostomids display more craniofacial diversity than pteropodids. In this study, we used morphometrics to investigate the distribution of palate variation and the evolution of palate diversity in these groups. We focused on the palate because evolutionary alterations in palate morphology are thought to underlie much feeding specialization in bats. We hypothesize that the distribution of palate variation differs in phyllostomids and pteropodids, and that the rate of palate evolution is higher in phyllostomids than pteropodids. The results suggest that the overall level of palate integration is higher in adult populations of pteropodids than phyllostomids but that the distribution of palate variation is otherwise generally conserved among phyllostomids and pteropodids. Furthermore, the results are consistent with these differences in palate integration likely having a developmental basis. The results also suggest that palate evolution has occurred significantly more rapidly in phyllostomids than pteropodids. These findings are consistent with a scenario in which the greater integration of the pteropodid palate has limited its evolvability.     

A New World Monkey Resembles Human in Bitter Taste Receptor Evolution and Function via a Single Parallel Amino Acid Substitution

Bitter taste receptors serve as a vital component in the defense system against toxin intake by animals, and the family of genes encoding these receptors has been demonstrated, usually by family size variance, to correlate with dietary preference. However, few systematic studies of specific Tas2R to unveil their functional evolution have been conducted. Here, we surveyed Tas2R16 across all major clades of primates and reported a rare case of a convergent change to increase sensitivity to β-glucopyranosides in human and a New World monkey, the white-faced saki. Combining analyses at multiple levels, we demonstrate that a parallel amino acid substitution (K172N) shared by these two species is responsible for this functional convergence of Tas2R16. Considering the specialized feeding preference of the white-faced saki, the K172N change likely played an important adaptive role in its early evolution to avoid potentially toxic cyanogenic glycosides, as suggested for the human TAS2R16 gene.     

胡颓子科叶绿体基因组系统发育分析与演化趋势推断

【目的】为探索胡颓子科叶绿体基因组演化趋势,从而为胡颓子科植物物种鉴定以及资源开发利用提供理论依据。【方法】研究从头组装并注释了沙棘属（Hippophae）和野牛果属（Shepherdia）共4个类群的叶绿体基因组,结合已发表的叶绿体基因组序列,比较了胡颓子科各类群叶绿体基因组的基因构成、重复序列和结构特征,建立了系统发育树,并通过高分化区定位了该科叶绿体基因组的潜在DNA条形码区域。【结果】胡颓子科各属叶绿体基因组在四分体结构、基因数量和排列上高度相似;沙棘属和野牛果属的反向重复区（IR）和整个基因组重复序列数目较胡颓子属有扩张和增加的趋势。基于胡颓子科18个类群的叶绿体全基因组序列的系统发育树中,胡颓子属、沙棘属和野牛果属各自聚为一支,前者先分化出来,沙棘属和野牛果属有最近共同祖先;从长单拷贝区（LSC）和短单拷贝区（SSC）筛选出3个DNA条形码候选区,其中ycf1基因的鉴定效果最佳,基于此构建的各类群系统发育关系与基于全基因组序列的结果一致。【结论】胡颓子科的叶绿体基因组结构保守,但其非编码区序列在各属间存在明显差异,且IR区序列与重复序列在演化过程中分别有扩张和增多的趋势。研究选定的DNA条形码序列能很好区分胡颓子科各属之间以及胡颓子属内物种间关系。     

Diversification of CpG-Island Promoters Revealed by Comparative Analysis Between Human and Rhesus Monkey Genomes

Mammalian Genome - While CpG dinucleotides are significantly reduced compared to other dinucleotides in mammalian genomes, they can congregate and form CpG islands, which localize around...