Testis size,epididymis weight,and sperm competition in rhesus macaques

The intensity of sperm competition is often measured using the gonadosomatic index (testes/body weight). But sperm competition could be mediated more by size of the epididymis than by size of the testicles, and little information is available on the relationship between testicular and epididymal size. We found that both organs were positively correlated in size among male rhesus macaques. Body weight accounted for over 70% of the variance in testicle size and volumetric estimates of testicle size accurately reflected testicle weight. We conclude that methods for ascertaining testicle size are accurate, but the covariation in size between testicles and epididymis will hamper understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved in sperm competition in primates. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A ten-month study of endogenous testosterone levels and behaviour in outdoor-living female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Endogenous testosterone levels were measured in association with sexual, aggressive, and social/affiliative behaviors in 11 outdoor-housed female rhesus monkeys over a ten-month period. Several behaviors (sex directed toward the male, sex received from the male, aggression directed toward the male, submission directed toward the male, submission directed toward the female, and groom another female) were significantly (p<0.05) positively correlated with testosterone in from one to five females. No trends were strong enough across all females to suggest that any of these correlations have species-wide significance. Factor analysis revealed clearcut clusters of behaviors, but elevations in testosterone were not strongly associated with any of these clusters. It is concluded that endogenous testosterone levels have little measurable effect on overt behavior in female rhesus monkeys.     

Establishment of primate lymphoblastic cell lines by coculture with a simian T-cell leukemia virus-1 positive, hypoxanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyltransferase negative Japanese macaque cell line

A cell line (JAMH17+) resistant to 8-azaguanine was established from a human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 related virus (simian T-cell leukemia virus-1) positive Japanese macaque cell line. Lymphoblastic cell lines were established from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of humans, hominoids, and several species of macaques by coculture with JAMH17+ in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine medium. HTLV-1 specific antigen was detected in some of the established cell lines. Phenotypic analysis showed that several cell lines of crab-eating macaques expressed Leu11a antigen, which is a marker of human natural killer cells.     

The genetic structure of a primate species: Rhesus macaques and other Cercopithecine monkeys

Among rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)and other cercopithecine monkeys, social groups occupying adjacent home ranges (i.e., members of the same local population) exchange individuals and genes and thus exhibit marked genetic similarities. To assess the degree to which this pattern extends beyond the local population, the genetic structure of M. mulattaand six other primate species was determined using Nei’s (1973) gene-diversity analysis. The genetic similarities seen among social groups in the Dunga Gali population of M. mulatta (Melnick et al.,1984a) can be seen over the entire species range. Comparison of these results with the structures of other similarly organized primate species indicates that (1) the average social group contains most of its local population’s genetic diversity, (2) the average local population contains the majority of the genetic diversity found in the region to which it belongs, and (3) the proportion of species gene diversity found in the average regional population varies substantially between species. Genetic homogeneity within local and regional populations is probably the product of gene flow. The application of a number of analytical models of selection and gene flow strongly suggests that gene flow, genetic drift, and zoogeography offer a more parsimonious and plausible explanation for interspecific variation in regional differentiation than does stabilizing selection.     

Voluntary progression order in captive rhesus macaques

The sequence in which 14 laboratory rhesus macaques left their home enclosure during a routine catching procedure was recorded on 30 occasions during 6 weeks. The animals were trained to voluntarily exit one by one and enter a transport cage for weighing and/or treatment. Mean weekly exit orders cross-correlated significantly, and individuals retained their exit positions with remarkable consistency throughout the study period. An animal's position did not depend on its sex, age, or dominance rank. The oldest female never failed to enter the transport cage as number 1. When she was prevented from taking the lead, the group was hesitant but eventually proceeded in the usual order. Food was a strong, yet not absolute, incentive for the monkeys to cooperate. If they could not expect a reward, they took more time before proceeding, but did so in the habitual order. The predictability of the exit sequence has practical managerial value because it makes it possible for a single person to quickly catch a selected group member when necessary.     

Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) complex learning skills reassessed

Results from three experiments on basic learning and transfer in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) are reported in which fully automated testing paradigms, afforded by the Language Research Center's Computerized Test System (LRC-CTS), were employed. Performance levels for discrimination learning set, transfer index, and mediational-learning testing were uniformly higher than was predicted from the literature, in contrast to previous reports of compromised learning under similar conditions (automated apparatus, planimetric stimuli, spatial discontiguity between stimuli and response loci). Analyses reveal relatively advanced learning set performance, transfer-index ratios, and positive transfer of learning even at stringent criterion levels. Moreover, the data suggest that rhesus monkeys tested in these experiments exhibit mediational instead of associative learning strategies, as do great apes and in contrast to previous reports of rhesus learning. We argue that the LRC-CTS enhances learning by nonhuman primate subjects, obviating those factors, reported in the literature from experiments in which manual or other automated systems were employed, that compromise learning.     

促性腺激素诱导猕猴排卵周期中卵巢纤溶酶原激活因子与抑制因子的变化

在用 PMSG 和 hUG 诱导猕猴排卵过程中,我们研究了 pA 和它的抑制因子 PAI-1与排卵的关系。实验结果表明,由促性腺激素所诱导出的卵巢 tPA 活性的增加与排卵密切相关,在排卵前达到高峰,而排卵后明显下降;uPA 只在排卵后的颗粒细胞大量出现;PAI-1分泌高峰比 tPA 峰值早出现12—24小时;排卵来临时,tPA 的明显上升导致 PAl-1的空然下降。上述实验结果说明,卵巢中 tPA 和 PAI-1活性的这种平衡性的变化可能在排卵机制和维持卵巢的正常生理功能中起重要作用,而 uPA 或许与黄体形成的调节有某些关系。     

Monitoring luteal function in the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) through urinary progesterone metabolite measurements

A direct radioimmunoassay for measuring urinary 20-hydroxyprogesterone cross-reactivity to monitor and assess luteal function and detect pregnancy in the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) is described. Urine samples were collected daily during ten nonconceptive and five conceptive ovarian cycles of five dult female lion-tailed macaques. Urine was analyzed for concentrations of 20α-hydroxypro-gesterone cross-reactivity, estrone conjugates, and creatinine. The strength of the luteal phase in normal nonconceptive cycles (n = 8) is characterized by a maximum sevenfold increase (day 9) in mean 20α-hydroxyprogesterone cross-reactivity over follicular phase levels; the duration, by a 13-day sustained elevation of mean 20α-hydroxyprogesterone cross-reactivity levels. Pregnancy is detectable from 20α-hydroxyprogesterone cross-reactivity values approximately 20 days after the periovulatory estrone conjugate peak (n = 4). Apparent anovulation (n = 1), extended follicular phase (n = 1), and early abortion (n = 1) also are detectable using 20α-hydroxyprogesterone cross-reactivity measurements.