Poster: the macaque genome

The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) facilitates an extraordinary range of biomedical and basic research, and the publication of the genome only makes it a more powerful model for studies of human disease; moreover, the macaque's position relative to humans and chimpanzees affords the opportunity to learn about the processes that have shaped the last 25 million years of primate evolution. To allow users to explore these themes of the macaque genome, Science has created a special interactive version of the poster published in the print edition of the 13 April 2007 issue. The interactive version includes additional text and exploration, as well as embedded video featuring seven scientists discussing the importance of the macaque and its genome sequence in studies of biomedicine and evolution. We have also created an accompanying teaching resource, including a lesson plan aimed at teachers of advanced high school life science students, for exploring what a comparison of the macaque and human genomes can tell us about human biology and evolution. These items are free to all site visitors.     

Human-specific changes of genome structure detected by genomic triangulation

Knowledge of the rhesus macaque genome sequence enables reconstruction of the ancestral state of the human genome before the divergence of chimpanzees. However, the draft quality of nonhuman primate genome assemblies challenges the ability of current methods to detect insertions, deletions, and copy-number variations between humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques and hinders the identification of evolutionary changes between these species. Because of the abundance of segmental duplications, genome comparisons require the integration of genomic assemblies and data from large-insert clones, linkage maps, and radiation hybrid maps. With genomic triangulation, an integrative method that reconstructs ancestral states and the structural evolution of genomes, we identified 130 human-specific breakpoints in genome structure due to rearrangements at an intermediate scale (10 kilobases to 4 megabases), including 64 insertions affecting 58 genes. Comparison with a human structural polymorphism database indicates that many of the rearrangements are polymorphic.     

北平顶猴的规模化饲养与繁殖

北平顶猴是一种珍贵而具有特殊生理特性的灵长类实验动物。介绍了在人工饲养环境下北平顶猴(Macaca mulatta)的驯养、管理、繁殖和疾病防治。综述了养殖场选址、猴房设计建设、设施划分、科学管理、饲养繁殖、个体档案管理以及腹泻、外伤、寄生虫等疾病的预防及治疗措施。     

Demographic histories and patterns of linkage disequilibrium in Chinese and Indian rhesus macaques

To understand the demographic history of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and document the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the genome, we partially resequenced five Encyclopedia of DNA Elements regions in 9 Chinese and 38 captive-born Indian rhesus macaques. Population genetic analyses of the 1467 single-nucleotide polymorphisms discovered suggest that the two populations separated about 162,000 years ago, with the Chinese population tripling in size since then and the Indian population eventually shrinking by a factor of four. Using coalescent simulations, we confirmed that these inferred demographic events explain a much faster decay of LD in Chinese (r(2) approximately 0.15 at 10 kilobases) versus Indian (r(2) approximately 0.52 at 10 kilobases) macaque populations.     

Mobile DNA in Old World monkeys: a glimpse through the rhesus macaque genome

The completion of the draft sequence of the rhesus macaque genome allowed us to study the genomic composition and evolution of transposable elements in this representative of the Old World monkey lineage, a group of diverse primates closely related to humans. The L1 family of long interspersed elements appears to have evolved as a single lineage, and Alu elements have evolved into four currently active lineages. We also found evidence of elevated horizontal transmissions of retroviruses and the absence of DNA transposon activity in the Old World monkey lineage. In addition, approximately 100 precursors of composite SVA (short interspersed element, variable number of tandem repeat, and Alu) elements were identified, with the majority being shared by the common ancestor of humans and rhesus macaques. Mobile elements compose roughly 50% of primate genomes, and our findings illustrate their diversity and strong influence on genome evolution between closely related species.     

太行山猕猴掌（跖）骨残损标本复原回归分析

[目的]探讨建立掌骨和跖骨的残缺标本推断掌骨和跖骨整体指标的回归方程。[方法]选用成年太行山猕猴35例（掌骨13例,跖骨22例）,按测量最大长度的方法进行测量,将所得数据用SPSS13.0软件进行相关和回归分析。[结果]建立了掌骨和跖骨整体指标的一元线性回归方程10个,对方程检验有统计学意义。[结论]所得的回归方程可用于利用掌骨和跖骨的残损标本对其整体主要指标的推断,为掌骨和跖骨的复原提供了依据,为进一步对灵长类掌骨和跖骨的研究提供方便,为灵长类的基础研究积累资料。     

Vocal tract limitations on the vowel repertoires of rhesus monkey and other nonhuman primates

The vowel repertoire of a rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) was explored by means of a computer program that calculated formant frequencies from the area function of the animal's supralaryngeal vocal tract, which was systematically varied within the limits imposed by anatomical constraints. The resulting vowels were compared with those of humans and with recorded vocalizations of nonhuman primates. The computer model indicates that the acoustic "vowel space" of a rhesus monkey is quite restricted compared to that of the human. This limitation results from the lack of a pharyngeal region that can change its cross-sectional area. These animals thus lack the output mechanism necessary for production of human speech. Man's speech output mechanism is apparently species-specific.     

Transmission of simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS) with blood or filtered plasma

Simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS), a disease clinically and pathologically similar to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in humans, was transmitted from diseased rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to normal monkeys by inoculation with heparinized whole blood or plasma that had been passed through filters of 0.45 micrometer pore size. This suggests that the causative agent is small and most probably a virus. No viruses, however, were isolated by standard cell culture techniques from the blood or filtered plasma which caused SAIDS. Both cellular and humoral immunity were markedly depressed in animals with advanced SAIDS.     

Simian AIDS: isolation of a type D retrovirus and transmission of the disease

A type D retrovirus related to but distinct from Mason-Pfizer monkey virus was isolated in vitro from the blood of two rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS). Three juvenile rhesus monkeys that were injected intravenously with tissue culture fluids containing this virus developed SAIDS after 2 to 4 weeks.     

Behavior of free-ranging macaques after intraventricular 6-hydroxydopamine

Macaques (Macaca mulatta) observed in a free-ranging colony on Guayacan Island, Puerto Rico, were significantly different in their social interactions, initiatives, facial expressions, and postures after intraventricular 6-hydroxydopamine compared with sham-treated and field controls. This study extends the known effects of 6-hydroxydopamine and catecholamine depletion to the social interactions of a higher primate species under free-ranging conditions.     

A new type D retrovirus isolated from macaques with an immunodeficiency syndrome

Macaque monkeys with the recently described acquired immunodeficiency syndrome show a marked defect in T-lymphocyte function and die with opportunistic infections and lymphoproliferative abnormalities. In the study described here a new type D retrovirus was isolated from two Macaca cyclopis with this syndrome. This virus is related to, but distinct from, Mason-Pfizer monkey virus, a type D retrovirus previously isolated from a mammary tumor of a rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).     

Induction of AIDS-like disease in macaque monkeys with T-cell tropic retrovirus STLV-III

The T-cell tropic retrovirus of macaque monkeys STLV-III has morphologic, growth, and antigenic properties indicating that it is related to HTLV-III/LAV, the etiologic agent of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in humans. Four of six rhesus monkeys died within 160 days of STLV-III inoculation with a wasting syndrome, opportunistic infections, a primary retroviral encephalitis, and immunologic abnormalities including a decrease in T4+ peripheral blood lymphocytes. These data show that an immunodeficiency syndrome can be produced experimentally in a nonhuman primate by an agent from the HTLV-III/LAV group of retroviruses. The STLV-III-macaque system will thus provide a useful model for the study of antiviral agents and vaccine development for human AIDS.     

丙肝感染宿主亲嗜性基因OCLN和CD81在猕猴川西亚种组织中的分布

丙型肝炎动物模型缺乏限制了丙型肝炎的研究,如果与人类基因背景相似的猕猴能作为丙型肝炎动物模型将有重大意义。文章拟通过检测决定HCV感染物种特异性的关键基因OCLN与CD81在猕猴不同组织的表达量,并以HCV易感的人肝癌细胞系Huh 751为对照,来探究猕猴作为丙型肝炎动物模型的可能性。结果表明,OCLN与CD81在猕猴川西亚种的肝脏、脾脏、肺脏、淋巴结和脊髓中均有表达,但表达量均极显著低于在Huh 751细胞系中的表达量（P<0.01）。肝脏中的OCLN表达量略低于肺脏中的表达量,而肝脏CD81的表达量均高于其他组织。并且,OCLN在不同组织中的表达水平与人体OCLN表达规律相符合（脾＜肝＜肺）。该结果提示HCV感染的宿主亲嗜性基因OCLN与CD81在猕猴中的低表达量可能导致HCV不能有效地结合组织靶细胞,因此推测,猕猴不能直接用于丙型肝炎动物造模可能与此有关。今后可通过转基因等技术增强OCLN与CD81基因的表达,从而使猕猴获得直接感染HCV的能力。     

Nalorphine: increased sensitivity of monkeys formerly dependent on morphine

Three rhesus monkeys Macaca mulatta, formerly dependent on morphine, had increased sensitivity to nalorphine's effect of suppressing operant responding for food, as compared with two monkeys with no history of morphine exposure. Within the dose range employed, nalorphine injections produced emesis, salivation, and hyperirritability in formerly morphine-dependent monkeys but not in controls.     

Increased attention enhances both behavioral and neuronal performance

Single cells were recorded from cortical area V4 of two rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) trained on a visual discrimination task with two levels of difficulty. Behavioral evidence indicated that the monkeys' discriminative abilities improved when the task was made more difficult. Correspondingly, neuronal responses to stimuli became larger and more selective in the difficult task. A control experiment demonstrated that changes in general arousal could not account for the effects of task difficulty on neuronal responses. It is concluded that increasing the amount of attention directed toward a stimulus can enhance the responsiveness and selectivity of the neurons that process it.     

A pathway in primate brain for internal monitoring of movements

It is essential to keep track of the movements we make, and one way to do that is to monitor correlates, or corollary discharges, of neuronal movement commands. We hypothesized that a previously identified pathway from brainstem to frontal cortex might carry corollary discharge signals. We found that neuronal activity in this pathway encodes upcoming eye movements and that inactivating the pathway impairs sequential eye movements consistent with loss of corollary discharge without affecting single eye movements. These results identify a pathway in the brain of the primate Macaca mulatta that conveys corollary discharge signals.     

太行山猕猴掌骨和跖骨重量与颅长的异速生长分析

[目的]研究太行山猕猴掌、跖骨的重量在生长发育过程中与颅长（体重）的关系。[方法]运用SPSS13．0统计分析软件,对26例（♀16,♂10）成年太行山猕猴掌、跖骨所测量的重量数据,用Linear和Power两种模型进行异速生长分析。[结果]使用Power模型的拟合程度不比Linear模型拟合程度高,而且只有雄性掌骨的拟合效果较好;掌、跖骨的重量与颅长均呈负异速生长（b〈1．0000）。[结论]在生长发育过程中,掌、跖骨的重量变化与颅长有密切关系;利用雄性5Mc的重量变量来推测颅长的应用价值较高。     

Generation of simian-tropic HIV-1 by restriction factor evasion

Because HIV-1 does not infect most nonhuman primates, animal modeling of human HIV infection and AIDS has primarily consisted of experimentally infecting macaques with related simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVMAC). However, the usefulness of such models is limited by the substantial divergence between SIVMAC and HIV-1. We derived an HIV-1-based virus that includes only small portions of SIVMAC yet replicates robustly in both transformed and primary rhesus macaque T cells. Derivation of simian-tropic HIV-1 (stHIV-1) has important implications for understanding primate lentivirus zoonosis and should allow the development of improved animal models for studies of AIDS and the evaluation of vaccines and treatments.     

广东内伶仃岛国家级自然保护区的植物资源

广东内仃岛国家级自然保护区共有生维管植物１２７科３６７属５５１种,其中新种２个,广东新记录种１１个,国家濒危稀有植物３种;另有栽培植物约５０种,隶属于２１科３２属。内伶仃岛的经济植物资源非常丰富,共有用材树种６６种、药用植物４０５种、果类植物６０多种、淀粉植物２６种、油脂植物５５种、芳香植物４０多种、有毒植物８０种、鞣料植物３１种、纤维植物７９种、观赏绿化植物４０多种,猕猴食源植物２００多种。     

不同物种RAB27A基因完整编码区生物信息学分析

应用比较基因组学和生物信息学方法比较分析了人、黑猩猩、恒河猴、家鼠、挪威鼠、狗、猪、牛、马、短尾负鼠、鸡和非洲爪蛙RAB27A基因完全编码区(cds),并对该基因的遗传多样性及分子系统发育进行了分析。结果表明,来自12个物种的52条基因序列检测到239个多态位点,共生成17种单倍型。RAB27A基因物种内保守性较强,但在物种间核苷酸多样性和氨基酸多样性相对丰富。