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At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are predominantly right-handed: replication in three populations of apes.

Population-level right-handedness has historically been considered a hallmark of human evolution. Even though recent studies in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have demonstrated population-level right-handedness for certain behaviors, some have questioned the validity and consistency of these findings by arguing that reported laterality effects are specific to certain colonies of apes and to those chimpanzees reared by humans. The authors report evidence of population-level right-handedness in 3 separate colonies of chimpanzees. Moreover, handedness in the 3 colonies was unrelated to the proportion of subjects that were raised by humans. This is the strongest evidence to date that population-level handedness is evident in chimpanzees and is not an artifact of human rearing.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Primate eta-globin DNA sequences and man's place among the great apes.

Molecular studies indicate that chimpanzee and gorilla are the closest relatives of man (refs 1-7 and refs therein). The small molecular distances found point to late ancestral separations, with the most recent being between chimpanzee and man, as judged by DNA hybridization. Kluge and Schwartz contest these conclusions: morphological characters group a chimpanzee-gorilla clade with the Asian ape orang-utan in Kluge's cladistic study and with an orang-utan-human clade in Schwartz's study. Clearly, extensive sequencing of nuclear DNA is needed to resolve by cladistic analysis the branching order within Hominoidea. Towards this goal, we are sequencing orthologues of the primate psi eta-globin locus. Here, we compare the newly completed sequences of orang-utan and rhesus monkey with human, chimpanzee, gorilla, owl monkey, lemur and goat orthologues. Our findings substantially increase the evidence indicative of a human-chimpanzee-gorilla clade with ancestral separations around 8 to 6 Myr ago. We also verify that neutral hominoid DNA evolved at markedly retarded rates.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Asymmetric Broca's area in great apes.

Brodmann's area 44 delineates part of Broca's area within the inferior frontal gyrus of the human brain and is a critical region for speech production, being larger in the left hemisphere than in the right - an asymmetry that has been correlated with language dominance. Here we show that there is a similar asymmetry in this area, also with left-hemisphere dominance, in three great ape species (Pan troglodytes, Pan paniscus and Gorilla gorilla). Our findings suggest that the neuroanatomical substrates for left-hemisphere dominance in speech production were evident at least five million years ago and are not unique to hominid evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Recent discoveries of Dryopithecus shed new light on evolution of great apes.

The origin and early evolution of the great ape/human clade (Hominidae) is currently a subject of debate. The controversy is fuelled by the fragmentary nature of the fossils which renders it difficult to determine clearly derived features that permit the recognition of fossil members of this clade. We report here the recent discovery of a facial skeleton and a temporal fragment with the petrosal bone of Dryopithecus laietanus, which provides a way out of an impasse. The lack of the fossa subarcuata is a great ape and human clade synapomorphy, and proves unequivocally that Dryopithecus belongs to this clade. The zygomatic possesses derived characters which reveal that Dryopithecus is related to the Ponginae and not to the African apes/humans, as recently suggested. The remaining morphological features are plesiomorphic and thus provide a good model of a common ancestor of all Hominidae.

Africa↗
PubMed2001

Great ape DNA sequences reveal a reduced diversity and an expansion in humans.

The extent of DNA sequence variation of chimpanzees is several-fold greater than that of humans. It is unclear, however, if humans or chimpanzees are exceptional among primates in having low and high amounts of DNA sequence diversity, respectively. To address this, we have determined approximately 10,000 bp of noncoding DNA sequences at Xq13.3 (which has been extensively studied in both humans and chimpanzees) from 10 western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and 1 mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei; that is, from 2 of the 3 currently recognized gorilla subspecies), as well as 8 Bornean (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) and 6 Sumatran (Pongo pygmaeus abelii) orang-utans, representing both currently recognized orang-utan subspecies. We show that humans differ from the great apes in having a low level of genetic variation and a signal of population expansion.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Abundant gene conversion between arms of palindromes in human and ape Y chromosomes.

Eight palindromes comprise one-quarter of the euchromatic DNA of the male-specific region of the human Y chromosome, the MSY. They contain many testis-specific genes and typically exhibit 99.97% intra-palindromic (arm-to-arm) sequence identity. This high degree of identity could be interpreted as evidence that the palindromes arose through duplication events that occurred about 100,000 years ago. Using comparative sequencing in great apes, we demonstrate here that at least six of these MSY palindromes predate the divergence of the human and chimpanzee lineages, which occurred about 5 million years ago. The arms of these palindromes must have subsequently engaged in gene conversion, driving the paired arms to evolve in concert. Indeed, analysis of MSY palindrome sequence variation in existing human populations provides evidence of recurrent arm-to-arm gene conversion in our species. We conclude that during recent evolution, an average of approximately 600 nucleotides per newborn male have undergone Y-Y gene conversion, which has had an important role in the evolution of multi-copy testis gene families in the MSY.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Unreliable mtDNA data due to nuclear insertions: a cautionary tale from analysis of humans and other great apes.

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence variation has been used extensively to study the evolutionary relationships of individuals and populations, both within and across species. So ubiquitous and easily acquired are mtDNA data that it has been suggested that such data could serve as a taxonomic 'barcode' for an objective species classification scheme. However, there are technical pitfalls associated with the acquisition of mtDNA data. One problem is the presence of translocated pieces of mtDNA in the nuclear genome of many taxa that may be mistaken for authentic organellar mtDNA. We assessed the extent to which such 'numt' sequences may pose an overlooked problem in analyses of mtDNA from humans and apes. Using long-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we generated necessarily authentic mtDNA sequences for comparison with sequences obtained using typical methods for a segment of the mtDNA control region in humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans. Results revealed that gorillas are notable for having such a variety of numt sequences bearing high similarity to authentic mtDNA that any analysis of mtDNA using standard approaches is rendered impossible. Studies on humans, chimpanzees, bonobos or orangutans are apparently less problematic. One implication is that explicit measures need to be taken to authenticate mtDNA sequences in newly studied taxa or when any irregularities arise. Furthermore, some taxa may not be amenable to analysis of mtDNA variation at all.

Animals↗
PubMed1970

The relationship of African apes, man and old world monkeys.

The conclusions of Wilson and Sarich (Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 63, 1088-1093 (1969) that the human lineage diverged from that leading to the African apes about 4 to 5 million years ago is shown to be based upon a wholly unsupported assumption that the Superfamilies Hominoidea and Cercopithecoidea only separated from each other some 30 million years ago. This is entirely contrary to most recent palaeontological evidence.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Search for antigens and antibodies crossreactive with type C viruses of the woolly monkeys and gibbon ape in animal models and in humans.

Several reports have indicated the presence of type-C viral antigens in human tumors and of viruses closely related to those of the woolly monkey and gibbon ape in cultured human cells. In the present studies, attempts to detect woolly monkeys viral antigens in human tissues, or antibodies directed against structural polypeptides of woolly monkey viruses in human sera, were unsuccessful, In contrast, it was possible to demonstrate viral antigens in tissues and antibodies reactive to viral components in several animal and even primate model systems. Further evidence against the presence of woolly monkey viruses in humans is our failure to identify spontaneous or chemically induced viruses of this group in more than 200 individual cultures of human origin examined. These findings argue against the likelihood that viruses closely related to the woolly monkeys virus are associated with human tumors or are common infectious agents of man.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Opal phytoliths found on the teeth of the extinct ape Gigantopithecus blacki: implications for paleodietary studies.

Identification of opal phytoliths bonded to the enamel surface of the teeth of Gigantopithecus blacki indicates that this extinct ape had a varied diet of grasses and fruits. By using the scanning electron microscope at magnifications of 2000-6000x specific opal phytoliths were observed and photographed on the fossilized teeth of an extinct species. Since opal phytoliths represent the inorganic remains of once-living plant cells, their documentation on the teeth of Gigantopithecus introduces a promising technique for the determination of diet in extinct mammalian species which should find numerous applications in the field of paleoanthropology as well as vertebrate paleontology.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of keratinocyte growth factor gene amplification and dispersion in evolution of great apes and humans.

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor family. Portions of the gene encoding KGF were amplified during primate evolution and are present in multiple nonprocessed copies in the human genome. Nucleotide analysis of a representative sampling of these KGF-like sequences indicated that they were at least 95% identical to corresponding regions of the KGF gene. To localize these sequences to specific chromosomal sites in human and higher primates, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization. In human, using a cosmid probe encoding KGF exon 1, we assigned the location of the KGF gene to chromosome 15q15-21.1. In addition, copies of KGF-like sequences hybridizing only with a cosmid probe encoding exons 2 and 3 were localized to dispersed sites on chromosome 2q21, 9p11, 9q12-13, 18p11, 18q11, 21q11, and 21q21.1. The distribution of KGF-like sequences suggests a role for alphoid DNA in their amplification and dispersion. In chimpanzee, KGF-like sequences were observed at five chromosomal sites, which were each homologous to sites in human, while in gorilla, a subset of four of these homologous sites was identified; in orangutan two sites were identified, while gibbon exhibited only a single site. The chromosomal localization of KGF sequences in human and great ape genomes indicates that amplification and dispersion occurred in multiple discrete steps, with initial KGF gene duplication and dispersion taking place in gibbon and involving loci corresponding to human chromosomes 15 and 21. These findings support the concept of a closer evolutionary relationship of human and chimpanzee and a possible selective pressure for such dispersion during the evolution of higher primates.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Ape-like or hominid-like? The positional behavior of Oreopithecus bambolii reconsidered.

Comparative morphological and functional analyses of the skeletal remains of Oreopithecus bambolii, a hominoid from the Miocene Mediterranean island of Tuscany-Sardinia (Italy), provides evidence that bipedal activities made up a significant part of the positional behavior of this primate. The mosaic pattern of its postcranial morphology is to some degree convergent with that of Australopithecus and functionally intermediate between apes and early hominids. Some unique traits could have been selected only under insular conditions where the absence of predators and the limitation of trophic resources play a crucial role in mammalian evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Oreopithecus was a bipedal ape after all: evidence from the iliac cancellous architecture.

Textural properties and functional morphology of the hip bone cancellous network of Oreopithecus bambolii, a 9- to 7-million-year-old Late Miocene hominoid from Italy, provide insights into the postural and locomotor behavior of this fossil ape. Digital image processing of calibrated hip bone radiographs reveals the occurrence of trabecular features, which, in humans and fossil hominids, are related to vertical support of the body weight, i.e., to bipedality.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

High-efficiency gene transfer to primary monkey airway epithelial cells with retrovirus vectors using the gibbon ape leukemia virus receptor.

The efficiency of retrovirus-mediated gene transfer to primary airway epithelial cells from rhesus monkeys was evaluated. We compared the use of murine amphotropic retrovirus vectors to the use of murine retrovirus vectors containing the envelope (Env) glycoproteins from gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV). These vectors use distinct receptors to gain entry into host cells. We found that vectors with the GALV Env glycoproteins are up to 10-fold more efficient at transducing genes into primary monkey airway epithelial cells than vectors with the amphotropic Env glycoproteins. Under optimal conditions, up to about 80% of primary monkey airway epithelial cells could be transduced with the vector containing the GALV Env glycoproteins. In addition, we found that delivery of retrovirus vectors to the apical side of polarized airway epithelial cultures was significantly more efficient than delivery to the basal side. These results suggest the feasibility of luminal delivery of retrovirus vectors to the lung.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An ancient RNase H1 splice junction mutant preserved in a 19-million-year-old genetic fossil in ape genomes.

A retroprocessed pseudogene (retropseudogene) descended from the gene encoding ribonuclease (RNase) H1 has been found in ape genomes that preserves a splice junction mutation event that altered the carboxyl-terminal end of the enzyme. The GT --> GC transition mutant at the 5' splice junction of RNase H1 exon 7/intron 7 led to the absence of exon 8 and more than 1 kb of intron 7 sequence being substituted. Comparison of source gene and pseudogene sequences indicates that the retrotranscription event occurred 19 million years ago. Present in these sequences is an in-frame stop and several available polyadenylation signals, suggesting that the mutant allele could have been translated. At the present time, the genetic fossil is the only evidence that the mutation ever occurred, and thus represents an archival marker of an ancient genetic event in primate evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Disulfide-bond reshuffling in the evolution of an ape placental ribonuclease.

Disulfide bonds play important roles in the folding and stability of proteins and are evolutionarily conserved. A classic example is RNase A (also known as bovine pancreatic ribonuclease), which contains 4 conserved disulfide bonds among 8 cysteines. However, human RNase 8, a paralog of RNase A uniquely expressed in the placenta, has lost one of the conserved cysteines but gained another, when compared with RNase 8 of various monkeys and with RNase A. We here show that both the loss and gain of the cysteines in human RNase 8 occurred in the common ancestor of African great apes (humans, chimps, and gorillas) 7-13 MYA. Computational predictions suggest changes of disulfide bonding by these cysteine substitutions. Site-directed mutagenesis indicates that if the ribonucleolytic activity is essential for RNase 8's function, the gain of the cysteine must have preceded the loss. Human RNase 8 represents one of the first examples in which the presumable evolutionary change of a disulfide bond involves 1 loss and 1 gain of cysteine, instead of 2 losses or 2 gains. Our results provide the foundation for detailed analysis toward understanding the impact of disulfide-bond reshuffling on the structure, function, and evolution of proteins in general and human RNase 8 in particular.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human microsatellites applicable for analysis of genetic variation in apes and Old World monkeys.

In studies of the genetics and social structure of primate populations there is a need to develop highly variable genetic markers for characterizing mating success and the nature of population movement or change through time. Because of their highly polymorphic nature, relatively simple amplification and typing, and the possibility of noninvasive sampling, microsatellites have become the molecular tool of choice in such studies. However, until recently it was assumed that many microsatellite loci, which are primarily situated in noncoding regions of the genome, evolve too rapidly to be applicable in evolutionarily divergent species. This has often resulted in the time-consuming process of cloning and sequencing microsatellites in new species. Here we describe the application of 11 human microsatellite primer pairs to a large group of primate species. The loci described are informative in all major groups of apes and Old World monkeys, although levels of allelic variability and heterozygosity differ across species. We confirm that with the use of appropriate universally applicable PCR conditions, a subset of human microsatellites are informative genetic markers in a wide range of divergent primate taxa.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Evolutionary change of restriction cleavage sites and phylogenetic inference for man and apes.

A mathematical theory for the evolutionary change of restriction endonuclease cleavage sites is developed, and the probabilities of various types of restriction-site changes are evaluated. A computer simulation is also conducted to study properties of the evolutionary change of restriction sites. These studies indicate that parsimony methods of constructing phylogenetic trees often make erroneous inferences about evolutionary changes of restriction sites unless the number of nucleotide substitutions per site is less than 0.01 for all branches of the tree. This introduces a systematic error in estimating the number of mutational changes for each branch and, consequently, in constructing phylogenetic trees. Therefore, parsimony methods should be used only in cases where nucleotide sequences are closely related. Reexamination of Ferris et al.'s data on restriction-site differences of mitochondrial DNAs does not support Templeton's conclusions regarding the phylogenetic tree for man and apes and the molecular clock hypothesis. Templeton's claim that Nei and Li's method of estimating the number of nucleotide substitutions per site is seriously affected by parallel losses and loss-gains of restriction sites is also unsupported.

Animals↗