Mutations stabilize small subunit ribosomal RNA in desiccation-tolerant cyanobacteria Nostoc

The ribosomal RNA molecule is an ideal model for evaluating the stability of a gene product under desiccation stress. We isolated 8 Nostoc strains that had the capacity to withstand desiccation in habitats and sequenced their 16S rRNA genes. The stabilities of 16S rRNAs secondary structures, indicated by free energy change of folding, were compared among Nostoc and other related species. The results suggested that 163 rRNA secondary structures of the desiccation-tolerant Nostoc strains were more stable than that of planktonic Nostocaceae species. The stabilizing mutations were divided into two categories: (1) those causing GC to replace other types of base pairs in stems and (2) those causing extension of stems. By mapping stabilizing mutations onto the Nostoc phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene, it was shown that most of stabilizing mutations had evolved during adaptive radiation among Nostoc spp. The evolution of 16S rRNA along the Nostoc lineage is suggested to be selectively advantageous under desiccation stress.

Identification of one intron loss and phylogenetic evolution of Dfak gene in the Drosophila melanogaster species group

Intron loss and its evolutionary significance have been noted in Drosophila. The current study provides another example of intron loss within a single-copy Dfak gene in Drosophila. By using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we amplified about 1.3 kb fragment spanning intron 5-10, located in the position of Tyr kinase (TyK) domain of Dfak gene from Drosophila melanogaster species group, and observed size difference among the amplified DNA fragments from different species. Further sequencing analysis revealed that D. melanogaster and D. simulans deleted an about 60 bp of DNA fragment relative to other 7 Drosophila species, such as D. elegans, D. ficusphila, D. biarmipes, D. takahashii, D. jambulina, D. prostipennis and D. pseudoobscura, and the deleted fragment located precisely in the position of one intron. The data suggested that intron loss might have occurred in the Dfak gene evolutionary process of D. melanogaster and D. simulans of Drosophila melanogaster species group. In addition, the constructed phylogenetic tree based on the Dfak TyK domains clearly revealed the evolutionary relationships between subgroups of Drosophila melanogaster species group, and the intron loss identified from D. melanogaster and D. simulans provides a unique diagnostic tool for taxonomic classification of the melanogaster subgroup from other group of genus Drosophila.

青藏高原东缘青杨（Populus cathayana Rehd.）遗传多样性研究

青杨（Populus cathayana Rehd.）是青杨派杨树的主要树种之一，为我国特有乡土树种，其主要分布区之一是我国的青藏高原，集中分布地带在甘肃省中部及青海省东部，四川省西北部岷江上游和松潘等地区。本研究以青藏高原东缘青杨天然分布区的6个群体143个个体为材料，用AFLP、SSR和叶绿体SSR分子标记分析青杨天然群体的遗传多样性，分析其遗传结构和分化，比较6个群体间遗传多样性的高低和群体间的遗传关系。旨在为青杨基因资源评价、保护与保存、遗传改良策略制定等提供科学理论依据。通过以上研究，得出如下主要研究结果： 1 AFLP分子标记研究结果 采用4对选择性引物对6个青杨天然群体143个个体进行分析，扩增谱带分析共检测到175个位点，其中173个位点表现为多态，多态位点百分率高达98.9%。从整体上表现出较高的遗传多样性，Nei’s基因多样度(h)水平为0.306。从青杨天然群体位点分布来看，有高达20%的位点（32位点）为群体所特有，仅有9.14%的位点（16位点）在所有群体中存在。群体间的遗传分化极大，所有遗传变异中，有48.9%的遗传变异存在于群体间。在个体群丛（Individuals cluster）和主坐标（PCO analysis）分析中，青杨各群体未呈现任何地理模式，Mantel检测也显示各群体间遗传距离与地理距离无明显相关。研究认为，由于地理和空间上大尺度的隔离和地形地貌复杂使得群体间无法进行基因交流，导致群体间遗传分化极大，另外各群体在不同的选择压力下，经历各自独立的进化历程，这些都可能导致群体间遗传距离与地理距离的不相关。 2 SSR分子标记研究结果 在SSR分析中，7个位点在6个青杨天然群体143个个体中共检测到79个等位基因，每位点检测到的等位基因数在5-16之间，平均11.3个，总体上多态位点百分率达100%。平均观察杂合度和期望杂合度分别为0.792和0.802。Hardy-Weinberg平衡检验表明青杨大部分群体都处于非平衡状态，群体大部分位点都是偏离哈迪-温伯格平衡（76.3%），只有23.7%的测验满足哈迪-温伯格平衡。分析青杨天然群体内和群体间的遗传变异，基因分化系数（GST）为0.373，即有62.7%的遗传变异存在群体内，37.3%的遗传变异存在群体间。群体内的遗传变异高于群体间水平。根据各群体遗传距离UPGMA聚类分析，有来自相临分布区、近似气候类型的群体聚在一起的趋势，但Mantel检测反映遗传距离与地理距离间并无明显相关性。 3 cpSSR分子标记研究结果 分析来自青藏高原东缘6个青杨天然群体，所用cpSSR引物中有5对cpSSR引物（CCMP2、CCMP5、SCUO01、SCU03、SCU07）都表现较高的多态性，单个引物检测的片段数都在4以上。5对cpSSR引物共检测片段数26个，组成了12种叶绿体DNA单倍型。各群体的单倍型分布和频率有较大差异，群体单倍型多样性范围为0-0.4926，TS、JZ、PW和SHY群体单倍型多样性高于QHY和LED群体水平。本研究发现，分布在青藏高原东缘的青杨天然群体，群体间不存在共享的单倍型，各群体间存在极大的遗传分化（GST=0.9223）。从青藏高原东缘地区经历的地质历史事件来看，第四纪的冰期气候变迁可能是造成青杨现今遗传结构模式的主要因素之一。根据单倍型在各群体的分布情况，进行青杨群体聚类分析结果，各群体无明显的分组现象，青杨各群体也未呈现任何清晰地理模式。 由于不同分子标记在对群体遗传多样性检测能力与效率上存在差异，所以三种标记检测的青藏高原东缘青杨天然群体遗传多性水平也不尽一致，但在与用同种方法检测其它物种或同一物种不同种源群体比较，三种分子标记方法都揭示了青藏高原东缘青杨天然群体具有中等偏上的遗传多样性水平。结果分析表明，群体间遗传分化极大，这是由于青杨天然群体分布于青藏高原东缘，既有高原又有高山峡谷，由于地理和空间上大尺度的隔离和地形地貌复杂导致了基因流物理上的阻隔。三种分子标记研究结果经Mantel分析检测，遗传距离与地理距离之间都无明显相关性。较为一致的解释是，青杨分布区域地理和空间上大尺度的隔离和和地形地貌复杂导致群体之间不存在均匀扩散现象，另外各群体在不同的选择压力下，经历各自独立的进化历程，这些都可能导致群体间遗传距离与地理距离的不相关。 The wide geographical and climatic distribution of P. cathayana Rehd. indicates that there is a large amount of genetic diversity available, which can be exploited for conservation, breeding programs and afforestation schemes. The results are as follows: 1 Research results of AFLP genetic diversity In present study, genetic diversity was evaluated in the natural populations of P. cathayana originating from southern and eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China by means of AFLP markers. For four primer combinations, a total of 175 bands were obtained, of which 173 (98.9%) were polymorphic. Six natural populations of P. cathayana possessed different levels of genetic diversity, high level of genetic differentiation existed among populations (GST=0.489) of P. cathayana. Individuals cluster and PCO analysis based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient also showed evident population genetic structure with high level population genetic differentiation. The long evolutionary process coupled with genetic drift within populations, rather than contemporary gene flow, are the major forces shaping genetic structure of P. cathayana populations. Moreover, there is no correspondence between geographical and genetic distances in the populations of P. cathayana, seldom gene exchange among populations and different selection pressures may be the causes. Our finding of different levels of genetic diversity within population and high level of genetic differentiation among populations provided promising condition for further breeding or conservation programs. 2 Research results of SSR genetic diversity In this study, the genetic diversity of P. cathayana was investigated using microsatellite markers. In a total of 150 individuals collected from six natural populations in the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China, a high level of microsatellite polymorphism was detected. At the seven investigated microsatellite loci, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 16, with a mean of 11.3, the observed heterozygosities across populations ranged from 0.408 to 0.986, with a mean of 0.792, and the expected heterozygosities across populations ranged from 0.511 to 0.891, with a mean of 0.802. The proportion of genetic differentiation among populations accounted for 37.3% of the whole genetic diversity. The presence of such a high level of genetic diversity could be attributed to the features of the species and the habitats where the sampled populations occur: The southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is regarded as the natural distribution and variation center of the genus Populus in China. Variation in environmental conditions and selection pressures in different populations, and topographic dispersal barriers could be factors associated with the high level of genetic differentiation found among populations. The populations possessed significant heterozygosity excesses, which may be due to extensive population mixing at the local scale. The cluster analysis showed that the populations are not strictly grouped according to their geographic distances but the habitat characteristics also influence the divergence pattern. In addition, we suggest that population SHY should be regarded as an ecologically divergent species of P. cathayana. 3 Research results of cpSSR genetic diversity Genetic diversity of six natural populations of P. cathayana originating from the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China was studied by use of cpSSR markers. Based on 5 pairs of polymorphic primers screened from 12 pairs of primers, twenty-six different length fragments and twelve different kinds of haplotypes were reduced in 143 samples. There were significant variant haplotypes among the populations．There were no shared haplotypes found among populations, analysis of molecular variance indicated that a high proportion of the total genetic variance was attributable to variations among populations (92.23%). The pattern of genetic structure which is associated with spatial separation, variation in environmental conditions and selection pressures in different populations, is also the result of geological historical factor. A molecular phylogenetic tree based on the 12 haplotypes showed that the populations are not strictly grouped according to their geographic distances.

青稞B组醇溶蛋白基因与上游调控区的克隆及基因表达

高等植物种子胚乳贮藏蛋白是种子发芽时的主要氮源，也是人类和动物食用植物蛋白的主要来源。大麦种子胚乳贮藏蛋白主要是醇溶蛋白（hordeins），占大麦胚乳总蛋白的50–60%。根据大麦醇溶蛋白的大小和组成特点，大麦醇溶蛋白被划分为三种类型：富硫蛋白亚类(B，γ-hordeins)、贫硫蛋白亚类（C-hordeins)以及高分子量蛋白亚类(D-hordeins)。B组和C组醇溶蛋白是大麦胚乳的两类主要贮藏蛋白，它们分别占大麦总醇溶蛋白成分的70–80%和10–12%。遗传分析表明，大麦B、C、D和γ-组醇溶蛋白分别是由位于大麦第五染色体1H（5）上的Hor2、Hor1、Hor3和Hor5位点编码。Hor2位点编码大量分子量相同但组成不同的B组醇溶蛋白（B-hordein）。B-hordein的种类、数量和分布是影响大麦酿造、食用及饲养品质的重要因素之一。为深入了解B-hordein基因家族的结构和染色体组织，探明Hor2位点基因表达的发育调控机制，最终达到改良禾谷类作物籽粒品质的目的，本研究以青藏高原青稞为材料，采用同源克隆法，分别克隆B-hordein基因和启动子，通过原核生物表达验证B-hordein基因功能，并利用实时定量PCR探索B-hordein基因表达时空关系，取得如下研究结果： 1. 以具有特殊B组醇溶蛋白亚基组成的9份青藏高原青稞为材料，根据GenBank中三个B-hordein基因序列（GenBank No. X03103, X53690和X53691）设计一对引物，通过PCR扩增，获得23个B-hordein基因克隆并对其进行了序列分析。核苷酸序列分析表明，所有克隆均包含完整的开放阅读框。有11个克隆都存在一个框内终止密码子，推测这11个克隆可能是假基因。推测的氨基酸序列分析表明，所有大麦B-hordein具有相似的蛋白质基本结构，均包括一个高度保守的信号肽、中间重复区以及C-端结构域。不同大麦种重复区内重复基元的数目有较大差异。青稞材料Z07–2和Z26的B-hordeins仅具有12个重复基元结构，更接近于野生大麦。这些重复基元数目的差异导致了重复区序列长度和结构的变异。这种现象极可能是由于醇溶谷蛋白基因在进化过程中染色体的不平衡交换或复制滑动所造成的。对所克隆基因和禾本科代表性醇溶谷蛋白基因进行聚类分析，结果表明所有来自栽培大麦的B-hordeins聚类成一个亚家族，来自野生大麦的B-hordeins以及普通小麦的LMW-GS聚类成另外一个亚家族，表明这两个亚家族的成员存在显著差异。此外，我们发现B-hordein基因推测的C-末端序列具有一些有规律的特征：即具有相同C-末端序列的B-hordein基因在系统发生树中聚类为同一个亚组（除BXQ053，BZ09-1，BZ26-5分别单独聚为一类外）。这个特征将有助于我们对所有B组醇溶蛋白基因家族成员进行分类，避免了在SDS-PAGE电泳图谱上仅依靠大小分类的局限性。 2. 根据上述克隆的青稞B-hordein基因的5’端序列设计三条基因特异的反向引物，以青稞Z09和Z26的基因组DNA为模板，采用SON-PCR和TAIL-PCR技术分离克隆出8个B-hordein基因的上游调控序列（命名为Z09P和Z26P）。序列分析表明，推测的TATA box位于–80 bp，CAAT–like box位于–140 bp处。此外，Z09P和Z26P中有六个序列在–300 bp处均存在一个由高度保守的EM基序和类GCN4基序构成的胚乳盒(Endosperm Box，EB)，在约–560 bp处存在一个胚乳盒类似结构。而Z09P-2和Z26P-3不存在保守的胚乳盒或其类似结构，预示着这两个启动子所调控的基因表达可能受不同类型反式作用因子的调节，推测该启动子对基因的表达调控具有多样性。 3. 将B-hordein基因的开放阅读框定向克隆到表达载体pET-30a中，将其导入大肠杆菌表达菌株BL21中进行外源基因的诱导表达以验证所克隆基因的功能。结果表明仅含重组子pET-BZ07-2和pET-BZ26-5的BL21细菌有目的表达蛋白产生。在诱导3 h时的蛋白表达量最高；3 mM IPTG诱导的蛋白表达量要高于1 mM IPTG诱导的表达量。这为分离纯化B-hordein蛋白以及进一步研究其对大麦籽粒品质的影响奠定基础。 4. 根据从青稞Z09和Z26中分离克隆的B-hordein基因序列设计一对基因特异的引物，同时，选择大麦α-微管蛋白基因（GenBank no. U40042）为看家基因并设计特异引物，利用实时荧光定量PCR检测了青稞籽粒4个胚乳发育时间段的B-hordein基因表达，荧光定量结果显示：两份材料中B-hordein基因的表达量均随发育过程的进行而逐渐升高。Z09中B-hordein基因在开花后7天开始转录，而Z26开花4天后就有低水平B-hordein的表达，这表明Z26中B-hordein基因可能比Z09表达的较早或者Z09中B-hordein基因表达水平较低以致于不能被检测到。此外，在4个不同的胚乳发育时期中，Z26中B-hordein基因的表达量均高于Z09材料。在开花12天到18天的过程中，Z09和Z26中B-hordein基因的表达水平有一个急剧性的升高。这说明在不同胚乳发育时期，Hor2位点的B-hordein等位基因变异体存在mRNA的差异表达。 Seed endosperm storage proteins in higher plants are the main resources of nitrogen for germinating and plant proteins for human and animals. Barley prolamins (also called hordeins) are the major storage proteins in the endosperm and account for 50–60% of total proteins. Hordeins are classically divided into three groups: sulphur-rich (B, γ-hordeins), sulphur-poor (C-hordeins) and high molecular weight (HMW, D-hordeins) hordeins based on the size and composition. B-hordeins and C-hordeins are two major groups and each respectively account for about 70-80% and 10-12% of the total hordein fraction in barley endosperm. Genetic analysis showed that B-, C-, C-, γ-hordeins are encoded by Hor2, Hor1, Hor3 and Hor5 locus on the chromosome 1H (5). Hor2 locus is rich in alleles that encode numerous heterogeneous B-hordein polypeptides. It is reported that B-hordein species, quantity and distribution are significant factors affecting malting, food and feed quality of barley. To understand comprehensively the structure and organization of B-hordein gene family in hull-less barley and explore the developmental control mechanisms of Hor2 locus gene expression and eventually to better exploitation in crop grain quality improvement, we isolated and cloned B-hordein genes and promotors of hull-less barley from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by PCR, and testified their expression founction in bacteria expression system and explore their spatial and temporal expression pattern by quantitative real time PCR. Our results are as followed, 1. Twenty-three copies of B-hordein gene were cloned from nine hull-less barley cultivars of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with special B-hordein subunits and molecularly characterized by PCR, based on three B-hordein genes published previously (GenBank No. X03103, X53690 and X53691). DNA sequences analyses confirmed that the six clones all contained a full-length coding region of the barley B-hordein genes. Eleven clones all contain an in-frame stop codon and they are probably pseudogenes. The analysis of deduced amino acid sequences of the genes shows that they have similar structures including signal peptide domain, central repetitive domain, and C-terminal domain. The number of the repeats was largerly variable and resulted in polypeptides in different sizes or structures among the genes. Twelve such repeated motifs were found in Z07–2 and Z26, and they are close to those of the wild barleys, and it is most probably caused by unequal crossing-over and/or slippage during replication as suggested for the evolution of other prolamins. The relatedness of prolamin genes of barley and wheat was assessed in the phylogenetic tree based on their polypeptides comparison. Our phylogenetic analysis suggested that the predicted B-hordeins of cultivated barley formed a subfamily, while the B-hordeins of wild barleys and the two most similar sequences of LMW-GS of T. aestivum formed another subfamily. This result indicated that the members of the two subfamilys have a distinctive difference. In addition, we found the B-hordeins with identical C-terminal end sequences were clustered into a same subgroup (except BXQ053，BZ09-1 and BZ26-5 as a sole group, respectively), so we believe that B-hordein gene subfamilies possibly can be classified on the basis of the conserved C-terminal end sequences of predicted polypeptide and without the limit of SDS-PAGE protein banding patterns. 2. The specific primers were designed according to the published sequences of barley B-hordein genes from Z09 and Z26. Using total DNA isolated from them as the templates, eight clones (designated Z09Pand Z26P) of upstream sequences of the known B-hordein genes was obtained by TAIL-PCR and SON-PCR. Sequences analysis shows that the putative TATA box was present at position –80 bp and CAAT-like box at position –140 bp. Besides, a putative Endosperm Box including an Endosperm Motif (EM) and a GCN4-Like Motif was found at position –300 bp in six clones, and another Endosperm-like box was found at positon –560 bp. While the Endosperm Box or Endosperm-like box was not found in Z09P-2 and Z26P-3. This may indicate that gene expression drived by the two promtors was probably controlled by different trans-acting factors and the genetic control mechanism of corresponding gene expression may be diverse. 3. The B-hordein genic region coding for the mature peptide was cloned into expression vector pET-30a and transformed into bacterial strain BL21 for identifying gene expression fountion. Protein SDS–PAGE analysis showed that only the transformed lysate with the pET-BZ07-2 and pET-BZ26-5 constructs produced proteins related to B-group hordeins of barley, and the mounts of proteins induced by 3 mM IPTG and 3 h were higher than other conditions. This established a base for isolating and putifying B-hordein and further exploring their effects on barley grain quality. 4. The gene-specific primers of B-hordein genes from Z09 and Z26 were used for the quantification of B-hordein gene expression. The α-tubulin gene from Hordeum vulgare subsp. vulgare (GenBank accession number U40042) was used as a control gene. The result shows the transcription of the B-hordein genes in Z09 was found 7 days after flowering, while the transcription of the B-hordein genes in Z26 was found 4 days after flowering, but at a very low level, and it suggested that the B-hordein genes in Z26 probably expressed earlier than those in Z09, or the B-hordein genes in Z09 expressed at so a lower level than Z26 that it can not detected. In addition, B-hordein genes in Z26 accession showed higher expression levels than those in Z09 in four developing stages. Furthermore, a progressive increase in the expression levels of the B-hordein genes between 12 and 18 days after anthesis was observed in both Z09 and Z26. It implies that the B-hordein allelic variants encoded by Hor2 locus exist the differential expression in mRNA levels of during barley endosperm development.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea): The first representative from the subclass Aspidochirotacea with the echinoderm ground pattern

Complete mitochondrial genome plays an important role in the accurate revelation of phylogenetic relationships among metazoans. Here we present the complete mitochondrial genome sequence from a sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), which is the first representative from the subclass Aspidochirotacea. The mitochondrial genome of A. japonicus is 16,096 bp in length. The heavy strand consists of 31.8% A, 20.2% C, 17.9% G, and 30.1% T bases (AT skew = 0.027: GC skew = 0.062). It contains thirteen protein-coding genes (PCGs), twenty-two transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. There are a total of 3793 codons in all thirteen mitochondrial PCGs, excluding incomplete termination codons. The most frequently used amino acid is Leu (15.77%), followed by Set (9.73%), Met (8.62%), Phe (7.94%), and Ala (7.28%). Intergenetic regions in the mitochondrial genome of A. japonicus are 839 bp in total, with three relatively large regions of Unassigned Sequences (UAS) greater than 100 bp. The gene order of A. japonicus is identical to that observed in the five studied sea urchins, which confirms that the gene order shared by the two classes (Holothuroidea and Echinoidea) is a ground pattern of echinoderm mitochondrial genomes. Bayesian tree based on the cob gene supports the following relationship: (outgroup, (Crinoids, (Asteroids, Ophiuroids, (Echinoids, Holothuroids)))). (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative molecular cytogenetic studies in the order Carnivora: mapping chromosomal rearrangements onto the phylogenetic tree

We have made a set of chromosome-specific painting probes for the American mink by degenerate oligonucleotide primed-PCR (DOP-PCR) amplification of flow-sorted chromosomes. The painting probes were used to delimit homologous chromosomal segments among human, red fox, dog, cat and eight species of the family Mustelidae, including the European mink, steppe and forest polecats, least weasel, mountain weasel, Japanese sable, striped polecat, and badger. Based on the results of chromosome painting and G-banding, comparative maps between these species have been established. The integrated map demonstrates a high level of karyotype conservation among mustelid species. Comparative analysis of the conserved chromosomal segments among mustelids and outgroup species revealed 18 putative ancestral autosomal segments that probably represent the ancestral chromosomes, or chromosome arms, in the karyotype of the most recent ancestor of the family Mustelidae. The proposed 2n = 38 ancestral Mustelidae karyotype appears to have been retained in some modern mustelids, e.g., Martes, Lutra, ktonyx, and Vormela. The derivation of the mustelid karyotypes from the putative ancestral state resulted from centric fusions, fissions, the addition of heterochromatic arms, and occasional pericentric inversions. Our results confirm many of the evolutionary conclusions suggested by other data and strengthen the topology of the carnivore phylogenetic tree through the inclusion of genome-wide chromosome rearrangements. Copyright (C) 2002 S. KargerAG, Basel.

Phylogenetic relationships of five pika species (genus Ochotona) based on mitochondrial DNA restriction maps

Restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with 16 restriction endonucleases was used to examine the phylogenetic relationships of Ochotona cansus, O. huangensis, O. thibetana, O. curzoniae and O. erythrotis. A 1-kb length variation between O. erythrotis of subgenus Pika and other four species of subgenus Ochotona was observed, which may be a useful genetic marker for identifying the two subgenera. The phylogenetic tree constructed using PAUP based on 61 phylogenetically informative sites suggests that O. erythrotis diverged first, followed by O. cansus, while O. curzoniae and O. huangensis are sister taxa related to O. thibetana, The results indicate that both O. cansus and O. huangensis should be treated as independent species. If the base substitution rate of pikas mtDNA was 2% per million years, then the divergence time of the two subgenera, Pika and Ochotana, is about 8.8 Ma ago of late Miocence, middle Bao-dian of Chinese mammalian age, and the divergence of the four species in subgenus Ochotona would have occurred about 2.5 - 4.2 Ma ago, Yushean of Chinese mammalian age. This calculation appears to be substantiated by the fossil record.

Phylogenetic studies of pantherine cats (Felidae) based on multiple genes, with novel application of nuclear beta-fibrinogen intron 7 to carnivores

The pantherine lineage of the cat family Felidae (order: Carnivora) includes five big cats of genus Panthera and a great many midsized cats known worldwide. Presumably because of their recent and rapid radiation, the evolutionary relationship among pantherines remains ambiguous. We provide an independent assessment of the evolutionary history of pantherine lineage using two complete mitochondrial (mt) genes (ND2 and ND4) and the nuclear beta-fibrmogen intron 7 gene, whose utility in carnivoran phylogeny was first explored. The available four mt (ND5, cytb, 12S, and 16SrRNA) and two nuclear (IRBP and TTR) sequence loci were also combined to reconstruct phylogeny of 14 closely related cat species. Our analyses of combined mt data (six genes; approximate to 3750 bp) and combined mt and nuclear data (nine genes; approximate to 6500 bp) obtained identical tree topologies, which were well-resolved and strongly supported for almost all nodes. Monophyly of Panthera genus in pantherine lineage was confirmed and interspecific affinities within this genus revealed a novel branching pattern, with P. tigris diverging first in Panthera genus, followed by P. onca, P. leo, and last two sister species P. pardus and P. uncia. In addition, close association of Neofelis nebulosa to Panthera, the phylogenetic redefinition of Otocolobus manil within the domestic cat group, and the relatedness of Acinonyx jubatus and Puma concolor were all important findings in the resulting phylogenies. The potential utilities of nine different genes for phylogenetic resolution of closely related pantherine species were also evaluated, with special interest in that of the novel nuclear beta-fibrinogen intron 7. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.