Y Chromosome Diversity in the Genus Pan

过去的DNA研究表明，黑猩猩的种群历史与人类惊人地不同，尽管黑猩猩是我们最近的亲戚。不幸的是，黑猩猩的化石记录几乎不存在，因此，对现有种群进行遗传调查是研究这一历史的最好方法。然而，黑猩猩是高度濒危的物种，采样其遗传多样性的机会之窗可能正在迅速关闭。到目前为止，遗传学研究一直是有限的，主要集中在母系遗传的线粒体DNA上。这个项目的目标是寻找黑猩猩Y染色体上的变异，包括潘氏猩猩(黑猩猩)和潘·帕尼斯库斯(侏儒黑猩猩或矮黑猩猩)。这将提供一个新的视角来检验关于黑猩猩物种内部和之间的种群历史的假说。此外，它还可以比较黑猩猩和人类的人口历史，从而揭示我们自己的进化史。我们还在研究类人猿和人类的Y染色体进化史。由于黑猩猩的Y染色体比人类的Y染色体小25%，可能已经发生了结构重排，很明显，自从与人类祖先的Y染色体背道而驰以来，黑猩猩的Y染色体发生了有趣的变化。最后，我们希望在泛轮虫中识别亚种特有的Y染色体标记，当结合线粒体DNA数据时，将允许澄清圈养种群的起源。

Past DNA studies have suggested that chimpanzee population history has been surprisingly different from humans, although chimpanzees are our nearest relatives. Unfortunately the fossil record for chimpanzees is virtually nonexistent and, thus, genetic investigation of present populations is the best method to examine this history. Chimpanzees are, however, highly endangered and the window of opportunity to sample their genetic diversity may be rapidly closing. To date, genetic investigations have been limited, and they have focused primarily on the maternally-inherited mitochondrial DNA. The goal of this project is to search for variation on the Y chromosomes of chimpanzees, including Pan troglodytes, (the chimpanzee) and Pan paniscus (the pygmy chimpanzee or bonobo). This will provide a new perspective to test hypotheses about population history both within and between chimpanzee species. In addition, it will allow the comparison of chimpanzee and human demographic histories and, thus, can shed light on our own evolutionary history. We are also investigating Y chromosome evolutionary history in the great apes and humans. Because the chimpanzee Y chromosome is 25% smaller than the human Y and may have been subject to structural rearrangement, it is evident that the chimpanzee Y chromosome has undergone interesting changes since diverging from the ancestral human-chimpanzee Y chromosome. Finally, we hope to identify subspecies specific Y chromosome markers within Pan troglodytes that, when combined with mitochondrial DNA data, will allow the origins of the captive population to be clarified.