Chromosomal rearrangements and karyotype evolution in carnivores revealed by chromosome painting

• Published in: Heredity Vol. 108; no. 1; pp. 17 - 27
• Main Authors: Nie, W, Wang, J, Su, W, Wang, D, Tanomtong, A, Perelman, P L, Graphodatsky, A S, Yang, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Springer Nature B.V 01.01.2012; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Ailuropoda melanoleuca; Animals; Aquatic mammals; Carnivora - genetics; Carnivores; Cells, Cultured; Chromosome Banding; Chromosome Inversion; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosome Painting; Chromosome rearrangements; Chromosomes; Chromosomes, Mammalian - genetics; Data processing; DNA probes; Domestic animals; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Gene mapping; Genomes; Hermaphrodites; Karyotype; Karyotypes; Lynx; Lynx lynx; Marine mammals; Martes foina; Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis; Original; Phylogeny; Porpoises; Probes; Procyon lotor; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
• DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2011.107
• ISSN: 0018-067X

Chromosomal evolution in carnivores has been revisited extensively using cross-species chromosome painting. Painting probes derived from flow-sorted chromosomes of the domestic dog, which has one of the most rearranged karyotypes in mammals and the highest dipoid number (2n=78) in carnivores, are a powerful tool in detecting both evolutionary intra- and inter-chromosomal rearrangements. However, only a few comparative maps have been established between dog and other non-Canidae species. Here, we extended cross-species painting with dog probes to seven more species representing six carnivore families: Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the stone marten (Martes foina), the small Indian civet (Viverricula indica), the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphrodites), Javan mongoose (Hepestes javanicas), the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). The numbers and positions of intra-chromosomal rearrangements were found to differ among these carnivore species. A comparative map between human and stone marten, and a map among the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis), stone marten and human were also established to facilitate outgroup comparison and to integrate comparative maps between stone marten and other carnivores with such maps between human and other species. These comparative maps give further insight into genome evolution and karyotype phylogenetic relationships among carnivores, and will facilitate the transfer of gene mapping data from human, domestic dog and cat to other species.