The overall goal of this proposal is to serve the Chimpanzee Breeding and Research Program (CBRP) by providing comprehensive genetic management. To this end, we will corroborate parentage of all CBRP chimpanzees in the dedicated breeding cohorts at each of the 5 colonies and empirically quantify levels of genetic variability. These data will be used as a basis for a rational breeding program. We will use, DNA fingerprinting to ascertain parentage and to monitor the pedigrees. We will also type for polymorphic genetic markers, including isozymes, transferrins, RFLPs, VNTRs, and dinucleotide repeats. The marker data will be used to calculate population genetic parameters that characterize each colony and allow for an estimate of genetic diversity. The genetic data will provide guidelines for the introduction of nonCBRP males into the existing colonies-as breeders to enhance the gene pool. They will also provide the rationale for selecting specific offspring of over-represented parents to include in the dedicated breeding cohort. An important result of the service provided by this project will be to assure the maintenance of a genetically diverse population of chimpanzees in captivity and thus assure their continued availability for biomedical purposes.
