Y CHROMOSOME VARIATION AND EVOLUTION

过去的DNA研究表明，黑猩猩的种群历史 与人类惊人的不同，尽管黑猩猩是我们的 最近的亲戚。 不幸的是黑猩猩的化石记录 几乎不存在，因此，目前的基因研究 人口是研究这段历史的最好方法。 黑猩猩 然而，它们是高度濒危的， 它们的遗传多样性可能正在迅速消失。 到目前为止，基因 调查是有限的，他们主要集中在 母系遗传的线粒体DNA 建议的主要目的 研究的目的是寻找黑猩猩Y染色体的变异， 包括黑猩猩和侏儒 黑猩猩）。 这将为检验假说提供新的视角 关于黑猩猩物种内部和物种之间的种群历史。 在 此外，它将允许比较黑猩猩和人类 人口统计学的历史，因此，可以阐明我们自己的进化 历史 本研究还将探讨Y染色体的进化 人类和类人猿的历史。 因为黑猩猩Y 染色体比人类Y染色体小25%， 结构重排，很明显，黑猩猩的Y染色体 自从从祖先那里分离出来后， 人类-黑猩猩Y染色体。

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 primary aim of the proposed research is to search for variation on the Y chromosomes of chimpanzees, including Pan troglodytes, (the chimpanzee) and Pan paniscus (the pygmy chimpanzee). 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. This research will also investigate 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.