Web address:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/
120613133144.htm
Bonobo Genome Completed: The Final Great Ape to Be Sequenced
ScienceDaily (June 13, 2012) In a project led by the Max Planck Institute for
Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, an international team of scientists has
completed the sequencing and analysis of the genome of the last great ape, the
bonobo. Bonobos, which together with chimpanzees are the closest living
relatives of humans, are known for their peaceful, playful and sexual behaviour
that contrasts with the more aggressive behaviour of chimpanzees. The genome
sequence provides insights into the evolutionary relationships between the
great apes and may help us to understand the genetic basis of these traits.
The genome was sequenced from Ulindi, a female bonobo who lives in the Zoo
Leipzig. Genome sequences have also been generated from all other great apes --
chimpanzee, orang-utan and gorilla -- making this the final genome of a great
ape to be sequenced and providing insights into their relationships with one
another and with humans.
The comparison of the genome sequences of bonobo, chimpanzee, and human show
that humans differ by approximately 1.3% from both bonobo and chimpanzee.
Chimpanzees and bonobos are more closely related, differing by only 0.4%.
Bonobo and chimpanzee territories in central Africa are close to one another
and separated only by the Congo River. It has been hypothesized that the
formation of the Congo River separated the ancestors of chimpanzees and
bonobos, leading to these distinct apes. Examination of the relationship
between bonobos and chimpanzees showed that there appears to have been a clean
split and no subsequent interbreeding, which supports this hypothesis.
Despite the fact that on average the genomes of bonobos and chimpanzees are
equally distant from human, analysis of the genome sequence of the bonobo
revealed that for some particular parts of the genome, humans are closer to
bonobos than to chimpanzees, while in other regions the human genome is closer
to chimpanzees. Further research will determine whether these regions
contribute in any way to the behavioural differences and similarities between
humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further
information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Kay Prüfer, Kasper Munch, Ines Hellmann, Keiko Akagi, Jason R. Miller,
Brian Walenz, Sergey Koren, Granger Sutton, Chinnappa Kodira, Roger Winer,
James R. Knight, James C. Mullikin, Stephen J. Meader, Chris P. Ponting, Gerton
Lunter, Saneyuki Higashino, Asger Hobolth, Julien Dutheil, Emre Karakoç, Can
Alkan, Saba Sajjadian, Claudia Rita Catacchio, Mario Ventura, Tomas
Marques-Bonet, Evan E. Eichler, Claudine André, Rebeca Atencia, Lawrence
Mugisha, Jörg Junhold, Nick Patterson, Michael Siebauer, Jeffrey M. Good, Anne
Fischer, Susan E. Ptak, Michael Lachmann, David E. Symer, Thomas Mailund,
Mikkel H. Schierup, Aida M. Andrés, Janet Kelso, Svante Pääbo. The bonobo
genome compared with the chimpanzee and human genomes. Nature, 2012; DOI:
10.1038/nature11128
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Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (2012, June 13). Bonobo genome completed: The final
great ape to be sequenced. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 13, 2012, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2012/06/120613133144.htm
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of
ScienceDaily or its staff.
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