Automated Molecular Anthropological Analysis

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With National Science Foundation support Dr. Todd Disotell and his colleagues will purchase an ABI PRISM 310 Genetic Analyzer. This instrument is an automated system used for the sizing, sequencing and quantification of nucleic acids. The device integrates multicolor fluorescent labeling of nucleic acids with capillary electrophoresis to size and quantitate DNA molecules. Two of the advantages of using this technology to measure DNA include the use of polymers in capillary tubes rather than gels and the use of fluorescent dyes rather than radioactive isotopes for visualization. The instrument has a daily throughput of up to 4200 DNA bases when used for sequencing and is fully automated, so that once samples are prepared they are automatically loaded, run and analyzed without additional user input. This is a great advantage over manual techniques that need to be continuously monitored. The goal of the research is to understand the processes involved in the evolution of higher primate species and the instrument will be used to sequence multiple loci from large numbers of individuals from select primate species. In particular the researchers will focus on closely related Cercopithecines (guenons, macaques, mangabeys and mandrills) and on two species of baboons which interbreed in a hybrid zone. The project is especially interesting because it focuses on species that are just on the cusp of evolutionary separation and therefore the work will shed light on both the behavioral and biological mechanisms which serve to establish interspecific barriers. Intellectually the project falls at the borderline between population genetics and taxonomic analysis and serves to integrate concepts from both areas. Acquisition of this instrument will speed research in Dr. Disotell's lab and generate data of interest to many biologists and social scientists. It will also assist in the training of students in the NYU and other New York City university anthropology and biology departments.