Abstract

Novel nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers have been developed and described in various species improving our ability to assess patterns of genetic variation within and among species and to reconstruct historical evolutionary events. The results have indicated the evolutionary history of leopards, jaguars, jaguarundis, tigers, giant pandas, guanacos, and Iberian lynx and limited levels of molecular genetic diversity among tigers and Iberian lynx. Analyses of nuclear genetic markers are refining our understanding of felid evolution and indicating the genetic basis of morphological traits such as melanism in the domestic cat. Concordant phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies of feline immunodeficiency virus transmission among free-ranging cat populations allows a glimpse of the process of emerging infections in species well suited for discovery of these events. Insight gained from these studies reveals evolved mechanisms for immune and natural defenses against fatal infections and neoplastic diseases.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Division of Basic Sciences - NCI (NCI)
Type
Intramural Research (Z01)
Project #
1Z01BC005367-20
Application #
6949810
Study Section
(LGD)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
20
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
Basic Sciences
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
State
Country
United States
Zip Code

  Publications

Luo, Shu-Jin; Johnson, Warren E; Martenson, Janice et al. (2008) Subspecies genetic assignments of worldwide captive tigers increase conservation value of captive populations. Curr Biol 18:592-6
Trigo, T C; Freitas, T R O; Kunzler, G et al. (2008) Inter-species hybridization among Neotropical cats of the genus Leopardus, and evidence for an introgressive hybrid zone between L. geoffroyi and L. tigrinus in southern Brazil. Mol Ecol :
Menotti-Raymond, Marilyn; David, Victor A; Pflueger, Solveig M et al. (2008) Patterns of molecular genetic variation among cat breeds. Genomics 91:1-11
Napolitano, Constanza; Bennett, Magdalena; Johnson, Warren E et al. (2008) Ecological and biogeographical inferences on two sympatric and enigmatic Andean cat species using genetic identification of faecal samples. Mol Ecol 17:678-90
Wilting, Andreas; Buckley-Beason, Valerie A; Feldhaar, Heike et al. (2007) Clouded leopard phylogeny revisited: support for species recognition and population division between Borneo and Sumatra. Front Zool 4:15
Kim, Jae-Heup; Antunes, Agostinho; Luo, Shu-Jin et al. (2006) Evolutionary analysis of a large mtDNA translocation (numt) into the nuclear genome of the Panthera genus species. Gene 366:292-302
Johnson, Warren E; Eizirik, Eduardo; Pecon-Slattery, Jill et al. (2006) The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment. Science 311:73-7
Teeling, Emma C; Springer, Mark S; Madsen, Ole et al. (2005) A molecular phylogeny for bats illuminates biogeography and the fossil record. Science 307:580-4
Roca, Alfred L; Georgiadis, Nicholas; O'Brien, Stephen J (2005) Cytonuclear genomic dissociation in African elephant species. Nat Genet 37:96-100
Troyer, Jennifer L; Pecon-Slattery, Jill; Roelke, Melody E et al. (2005) Seroprevalence and genomic divergence of circulating strains of feline immunodeficiency virus among Felidae and Hyaenidae species. J Virol 79:8282-94

Showing the most recent 10 out of 12 publications