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PubMed1998

Highly congruent molecular support for a diverse superordinal clade of endemic African mammals.

A solution to higher level mammalian phylogeny is going to depend on the congruent establishment of superordinal groupings followed by a linking together of these clades. We present congruent and convincing evidence from four disparate nuclear protein coding genes and from a tandem alignment of the 12S-16S mitochondrial region, for a superordinal clade of endemic African mammals that includes elephant shrews, aardvarks, golden mole, elephants, sirenians, and hyraxes. Because of strong support for golden mole as part of this clade, the Insectivora are rendered paraphyletic or polyphyletic, with constrained monophyly of the insectivores judged significantly worse in the vast majority of tests. Branching arrangement within this clade remains highly uncertain; however, a tandem alignment of the protein coding genes suggests elephant shrew is the earliest African lineage. None of the individual data sets or combinations of data sets support the widely held view of a mirorder Tethytheria (Sirenia/Proboscidea), although only a tandem alignment of protein coding and mitochondrial loci significantly rejects this association. The majority of the data sets and analyses provide strong support for Caviomorpha as part of a monophyletic Rodentia.

Africa↗
PubMed2002

Characterization and phylogenetic utility of the mammalian protamine p1 gene.

We sequenced the protamine P1 gene (ca. 450 bp) from 20 bats (order Chiroptera) and the flying lemur (order Dermoptera). We compared these sequences with published sequences from 19 other mammals representing seven orders (Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Cetacea, Perissodactyla, Primates, Proboscidea, and Rodentia) to assess structure, base compositional bias, and phylogenetic utility. Approximately 80% of second codon positions were guanine, resulting in protamine proteins containing a high frequency of arginine residues. Our data indicate that codon usage for arginine differs among higher mammalian taxa. Parsimony analysis of 40 species representing nine orders produced a well-resolved tree in which most nodes were supported strongly, except at the lowest taxonomic levels (e.g., within Artiodactyla and Vespertilionidae). These data support monophyly of several taxa proposed by morphologic and molecular studies (all nine orders: Laurasiatheria, Cetartiodactytla, Yangochiroptera, Noctilionoidea, Rhinolophoidea, Vespertilionoidea, Phyllostomidae, Natalidae, and Vespertilionidae) and, in agreement with recent molecular studies, reject monophyly of Archonta, Volitantia, and Microchiroptera. Bats were sister to a clade containing Perissodactyla, Carnivora, and Cetartiodactyla, and, although not unequivocally, rhinolophoid bats (traditional microchiropterans) were sister to megachiropterans. Sequences of the protamine P1 gene are useful for resolving relationships at and above the familial level in bats, and generally within and among mammalian orders, but with some drawbacks. The coding and intervening sequences are small, producing few phylogenetically informative characters, and aligning the intron is difficult, even among closely related families. Given these caveats, the protamine P1 gene may be important to future systematic studies because its functional and evolutionary constraints differ from other genes currently used in systematic studies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Fluorescence banding in four species of Microtidae: an analysis of the evolutive changes of the constitutive heterochromatin.

Three different fluorochrome and specific counterstain combination (DAPI/AMD, DA/DAPI and CMA/DA) treatments were applied to the chromosomes of four Microtidae (Rodentia) species. The results complete the data obtained in our previous paper (Burgos, M., Jiménez, R., & Dìaz de la Guardia, R., Genome 30:540-546, 1988) and prove that the changes in the constitutive heterochromatin in the evolution of the karyotypes of these species are not only due to gain or loss of heterochromatin, but are qualitative with respect to their nucleotide composition, repeated base pair organization or DNA-protein complex modification. These variations lead to the differential response to the fluorescence dye combinations used.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Sporadic amplification of ID elements in rodents.

ID sequences are members of a short interspersed element (SINE) repetitive DNA family within the rodent genome. The copy number of individual ID elements varies by up to three orders of magnitude between species. This amplification has been highly sporadic in the order Rodentia and does not follow any phylogenetic trend. Using library screening and dot-blot analysis, we estimate there are 25,000 copies of ID elements in the deer mouse, 1,500 copies in the gerbil (both cricetid rodents), and 60,000 copies of either ID or ID-like elements in a sciurid rodent (squirrel). By dot-blot analysis, we estimate there are 150,000, 4,000, 1,000, and 200 copies of ID elements in the rat, mouse, hamster, and guinea pig, respectively (which is consistent with previous reports) and 200 copies in the hystricognath rodent, nutria. Therefore, a rapid amplification took place not only after the divergence of rat and mouse but also following the deer mouse (Peromyscus) and hamster split, with no evidence of increased amplifications in hystricognath rodents. No notable variations of sequences from the BC1 genes of several myomorphic rodents were observed that would possibly explain the varied levels of ID amplification. We did observe subgenera and species-group-specific variation in the ID core sequence of the BC1 gene within the genus Peromyscus. Sequence analysis of cloned ID elements in Peromyscus show most ID elements in this genus arose prior to Peromyscus subgenus divergence. Correspondence of the consensus sequence of individual ID elements in gerbil and deer mouse further confirms BC1 as a master gene in ID amplification. Several possible mechanisms responsible for the quantitative variations are explored.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Structure and evolution of opossum, guinea pig, and porcupine cytochrome b genes.

We have sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from the guinea pig, the African porcupine, and a South American opossum. A phylogenetic analysis, which includes 22 eutherian and four other vertebrate cytochrome b sequences, indicates that the guinea pig and the porcupine constitute a natural clade (Hystricomorpha) that is not a sister group to the clade of mice and rats (Myomorpha). Therefore, the hypothesis that the Rodentia is paraphyletic receives additional support. The artiodactyls, the perissodactyls, and the cetaceans form a group that is separated from the primates and the rodents. The 26 sequences are used to study the structure/function relationships in cytochrome b, whose function is electron transport. Most of the amino acid residues involved in the two reaction centers are well conserved in evolution. The four histidines that are believed to ligate the two hemes are invariant among the 26 sequences, but their nearby residues are not well conserved in evolution. The eight transmembrane domains represent some of the most divergent regions in the cytochrome b sequence. The rate of nonsynonymous substitution is considerably faster in the human and elephant lineages than in other eutherian lineages; the faster rate might be due to coevolution between cytochrome b and cytochrome c.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Individual recognition and incest avoidance in eusocial common mole-rats rather than reproductive suppression by parents.

Non-reproductive females in families of eusocial common mole-rats (Cryptomys sp., Rodentia) are not suppressed by their mother, (either behaviourally or pheromonally) as is generally assumed. They do not mate with their father and brothers simply because they are not sexually attractive for them (and vice versa). The incest avoidance is based on the capability to recognize (and keep in memory for up to three weeks) each family member individually. A 'sterile' daughter may conceive and deliver young in her parental family if given the opportunity to mate with an unfamiliar mate in a separate cage. In this way, two females may breed side by side in one family.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Relationships of the chromosomal species in the Eurasian mole rats of the Spalax ehrenbergi group as determined by DNA-DNA hybridization, and an estimate of the spalacid-murid divergence time.

DNA-DNA hybridization was used to measure the average genomic divergence among the four chromosomal species of the Eurasian mole rats belonging to the Spalax ehrenbergi complex (Rodentia: Spalacidae). The percent nucleotide substitutions in the single-copy nuclear DNA among the species ranged from 0 to 5%, suggesting that speciation has occurred with minor genomic changes in these animals. The youngest chromosomal species appear to differ by 0.2-0.6% base pair mismatch, which is only between one and three base differences in a 500-bp fragment. The interspecific values of percent nucleotide differences permit the recognition of two well-separated speciation events in the S. ehrenbergi complex, the older (of Lower Pleistocene age) having isolated the chromosomal species 2n = 54 before the divergence of the three other species. DNA-DNA hybridization was also used to compare the Spalacinae (Eurasian mole rats), Murinae (Old World rats and mice), and Arvicolinae (voles and lemmings). These data enabled us to estimate the time of divergence of the spalacids at ca. 19 million years ago. The dates of divergence among the other rodent lineages, as predicted by DNA hybridization results, agree well with paleontological data. These dates of divergence are obtained by the relation between geological time and single-copy nuclear DNA change, a relation that was calibrated by Catzeflis et al. (1987) through the use of fossil Arvicolinae and Murinae data.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

"Rodent-like" and "primate-like" types of astroglial architecture in the adult cerebral cortex of mammals: a comparative study.

Previous observations disclosed that astroglia with interlaminar processes were present in the cerebral cortex of adult New and Old World monkeys, but not in the rat, and scarcely in the prosimian Microcebus murinus. The present report is a more systematic and comprehensive comparative analysis of the occurrence of such processes in the cerebral cortex of several mammalian species. Brain samples were obtained from adult individuals from the following orders: Carnivora (canine), Rodentia (rat and mouse), Marsupialia (Macropus eugenii), Artiodactyl (bovine and ovine), Scandentia (Tupaia glis), Chiroptera (Cynopteris horsfieldii and C. brachyotis), and Primate: Prosimian (Eulemur fulvus), non-human primate species (Cebus apella, Saimiri boliviensis, Callithrix, Macaca mulatta, Papio hamadryas, Macaca fascicularis, Cercopithecus campbelli and C. ascanius) and from a human autopsy. Tissues were processed for immunocytochemistry using several antibodies directed against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), with or without additional procedures aimed at the retrieval of antigens and enhancement of their immunocytochemical expression. The cerebral cortex of non-primate species had an almost exclusive layout of stellate astrocytes, with only the occasional presence of long GFAP-IR processes in the dog that barely crossed the extent of lamina I, which in this species had comparatively increased thickness. Species of Insectivora and Chiroptera showed presence of astrocytes with long processes limited to the ventral basal cortex. Interlaminar GFAP-IR processes were absent in Eulemur fulvus, at variance with their limited presence and large within- and inter-individual variability as reported previously in Microcebus murinus. In New World monkeys such processes were absent in Callithrix samples, at variance with Cebus apella and Saimirí boliviensis. Overall, the expression of GFAP-IR interlaminar processes followed a progressive pattern: bulk of non-primate species (lack of interlaminar processes)--Chiroptera and Insectivora (processes restricted to allocortex) < strepsirhini < haplorhini (platirrhini < catarrhini). This trend is suggestive of the emergence of new evolutionary traits in the organization of the cerebral cortex, namely, the emergence of GFAP-IR long, interlaminar processes in the primate brain. Interlaminar processes may participate in a spatially restricted astroglial role, as compared to the one provided by the astroglial syncytium. It is proposed that the widely accepted concept of an exclusively astroglial syncytium is probably linked with a specific laboratory animal species ("rodent-type" or, rather, "general mammalian-type" model) that misrepresents the astroglial architecture present in the cerebral cortex of most anthropoid adult primates ("primate-type" model), including man.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Description of the adult worms of a new Brazilian isolate of Echinostoma paraensei (Platyhelminthes:Digenea) from its natural vertebrate host Nectomys squamipes by light and scanning electron microscopy and molecular analysis.

Echinostoma paraensei Lie and Basch, 1967 (Echinostomatidae:Platyhelminthes), a 37 collar spine echinostome of the "revolutum group", has been used extensively as a model organism to study the interactions of digenetic trematodes with both their snail and vertebrate hosts. This worm was first isolated from the snail Biomphalaria glabrata from Belo Horizonte (BH isolate), Minas Gerais State, Brazil, by Lie and Basch [J Parasitol (1967) 53:1192-1199]. The natural definitive host for the BH isolate was never determined, and it has been maintained in the laboratory since 1967 in B. glabrata and hamsters. In this study, using light and scanning electron microscopy and molecular analysis, we describe an echinostome recently obtained from its natural vertebrate host, the wild rodent Nectomys squamipes (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from Sumidouro, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (RJ isolate). This echinostome was also compared to the laboratory-maintained BH isolate of E. paraensei. We observed that adult worms of both BH and RJ isolates could be differentiated from other echinostome species by the relatively small size of the dorsal collar spines relative to lateral and corner collar spines. SEM confirmed the similarity of this morphological character between the two isolates. As additional diagnostic features, the tegumentary spines are scale-like and the region between the genital pore and the acetabulum lacks scales. There is a folded protuberance with a pore just posterior to the genital pore. The tegument of the acetabulum is unspined and radially wrinkled, and there are numerous randomly distributed small, domed, ciliated papillae. The sequences of the internal transcribed spacers of the nuclear rDNA complex of the RJ and BH isolates are identical. Together these shared features provide strong evidence that both isolates are the same and can be referred to as E. paraensei. In conclusion, we have identified, for the first time, one of the natural definitive hosts for E. paraensei, the rodent N. squamipes, and have extended the known geographical distribution of this species to include Sumidouro in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Small mammals as biological indicators of radioactive contamination of the environment.

An investigation was carried out in Sweden aimed at studying the contamination of small mammals (orders Rodentia and Insectivora) following the Chernobyl accident. The animals were captured in three differently contaminated areas in Sweden and, for control, in an area with negligible fallout. The results obtained show that the activity in the captured animals was correlated with surface deposition. The differences between the species investigated and the influence of feeding habits on the contamination levels are discussed.

Accidents↗
PubMed1988

Evidence for the presence of alpha 1B-glycoprotein in mammalian sera: immunoblotting studies.

1. A monospecific antiserum to pig alpha 1B-glycoprotein (PO2) was produced in rabbits and was used to search for homologues of alpha 1B in sera of 41 mammalian species belonging to seven orders. 2. Specific reactions were detected in the sera of representatives of Insectivora, Primates, Carnivora, Proboscidea, Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla. No cross-reactions were observed in the sera of two species of Rodentia (mouse, rat). 3. Cross-reactions in the sera of Erinaceus europaeus, Homo sapiens and Macaca mulatta were rather weak; this indicates a greater structural difference between the alpha 1 B of Insectivora and Primates and that of the other mammalian orders. 4. Electrophoretic patterns of alpha 1 B were, in most cases, heterogeneous, the most heterogeneous being in ruminants. 5. Evidence was obtained that the alpha 1 B of sheep is identical with the earlier described (Juneja and Gahne (1980) Anim. Blood Grps Biochem. Genet. 11, 81-92.) polymorphic post-transferrin (Ptf).

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Tension fibroblasts and the connective tissue matrix of the spiral ligament.

Fibroblasts with stress fibers (tension fibroblasts) have previously been described in the marginal region of the spiral ligament of bats and mice (Henson et al., 1984, 1985). The location, structure and attachments of these cells and the fact that they contain contraction associated proteins, have suggested a role in the generation of tension within the basilar membrane-spiral ligament complex. In this study the structure of these fibroblasts and their relationships to different types of connective tissue matrices were examined in representative Marsupalia, Insectivora, Chiroptera, Rodentia, Lagomorpha, Carnivora and Primates. Tension fibroblasts occur in all species but they are remarkably different in their actin filament content, their structure and distribution, and in their association with the extracellular matrix and otic capsule. Six types of matrices are described (dense filamentous, bundled, laminated, honeycombed, trabeculated and loose filamentous). The configurations of the cells and fibers indicate that tension on the basilar membrane may be accomplished in different ways and to different degrees in different mammals. The arrangement of the matrix and cells in some animals is markedly different in the parts of the cochlea that respond to high, middle and low frequencies.

Actins↗
PubMed1992

Phylogenetic relationships among middle American pocket gophers (genus Orthogeomys) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences.

Relationships among members representing each of the three subgenera of the Middle American rodent genus Orthogeomys (Rodentia: Geomyidae) were studied by comparing DNA sequence data from two regions of the mitochondrial genome. Results from 527 bp from the 16 S rDNA region and a 402-bp fragment of the cytochrome b gene indicate that the three subgenera are well differentiated genetically, with the subgenus Orthogeomys being distantly related to Macrogeomys and Heterogeomys, and Macrogeomys appearing as the most derived. Within the subgenus Macrogeomys, O. heterodus and O. cherriei form a distinct clade, as do O. dariensis and O. cavator. As with previous protein-electrophoretic studies, the placement of O. underwoodi could not be determined definitively within the subgenus Macrogeomys. We interpret our inability to determine phylogenetic relationships among these three clades as evidence for a rapid phyletic radiation within this subgenus. Sequence divergence estimates indicate that the Macrogeomys radiation took place following the time of completion of the Panamanian land bridge (1.9-2.9 mya). Additionally, the near identity of sequences of a newly described species, O. thaeleri, with those of O. dariensis (percentage sequence divergence = 0.3%) suggests that the two may be conspecific.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Choline acetyltransferase immunoreactive cortical interneurons do not occur in all rodents: a study of the phylogenetic occurrence of this neural characteristic.

The present study was designed to provide results aimed at testing whether the interneurons with choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity (ChAT), probably representing GABA interneurons, found in the cerebral cortex of the rat represent a common feature of the order Rodentia. Initially we verified the presence of ChAT immunoreactive bipolar cell bodies, axons and terminal-like fibres in pigmented (Long-Evans) and non-pigmented (Sprague-Dawley) strains of Rattus norvegicus, confirming that the ChAT polyclonal antibodies (AB144P and AB143, Chemicon; VChAT, Sigma) with the immunohistochemical techniques used provided the same staining as previously described for this species. We then examined pigmented (AKR3) and non-pigmented (C3H) strains of Mus musculus, wild caught striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio), bushveld gerbil (Tatera brantsii), greater canerat (Thryonomys swinderianus) and common molerat (Cryptomys hottentotus). The AB144P antibody revealed cortical interneurons in both strains of M. musculus and in R. pumilio, but not in the other species. In all species/strains cortical ChAT immunoreactive axons and terminal-like fibres were localized with the AB144P antibody. In the non-Rattus species/strains there was no evidence for localization of ChAT immunoreactivity in any cortical cell bodies using the AB143 and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VChAT) antibodies despite extensive localization in axons and terminal-like fibres. It is concluded that bipolar cortical GABA interneurons in certain rodent species may develop ChAT immunoreactivity but not VChAT immunoreactivity making the cholinergic relevance of ChAT in the GABA interneurons uncertain and may exclude these neurons from being part of the traditionally defined cholinergic system.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed2006

Detection and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in captive non-domestic mammals.

Shiga toxin producing-Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important emerging pathogen, and ruminants are recognized as their main natural reservoir. The aim of this work was to establish the frequency of STEC in non-domestic mammals of the Zoo and Botanical Garden of La Plata City, Argentina, and to pheno-genotypically characterize STEC isolates. By polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Shiga toxin (stx) gene sequences were detected in 50.8% of 65 fecal samples. Twenty-five STEC strains were isolated from 38.5% of the Zoo's animals. Ten species of order Cetartiodactyla and one species of order Rodentia were recognized as new STEC carriers. STEC strains belonged to 7 different serotypes including new serotypes O12:H25 and O13:H6. Serotype O146:H28, previously associated with human infections, represented 24% of STEC isolates. The most frequent Shiga toxin identified were type 1c and type 2c. Nineteen strains were positive for iha gene, 8 strains were positive for ehxA gene. Moreover, all strains were positive for lpfAO113 and negative for rfbO157, eae, saa, lpfAO157/OI-141, lpfAO157/OI-154, efa1, and toxB genes. Results obtained by XbaI-pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (XbaI-PFGE) confirmed the transmission of STEC strains among different animal species and suborders. In addition, we observed a potential association between STEC-harboring animal and factors such as belonging to order Cetartiodactyla, living in a pit, and belonging to a non-autochthonous species. This is the first work developed with zoological mammals and STEC in Argentina.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Molecular phylogenetics and taxonomy of the African mole-rats, genus Cryptomys and the new genus Coetomys Gray, 1864.

Cryptomys represents the most speciose and widely distributed genus of the Bathyergidae (Mammalia; Rodentia), a family of mole-rats endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout its range in southern, central, and western Africa, Cryptomys displays diversity in terms of morphology, patterns of behavior, and chromosome number, thus complicating the systematics of the group. A molecular phylogeny was obtained by separate and combined analyses of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA and intron I of the nuclear transthyretin gene for chromosomally and geographically diverse populations of Cryptomys. Our results show that Cryptomys sensu lato is comprised of two distinct and divergent monophyletic clades: hottentotus and mechowi. Based on our analyses, we propose the elevation of the mechowi clade to the genus Coetomys, retaining Cryptomys as the generic epithet of the South African hottentotus clade. This is supported by: (1) reciprocal monophyly of the two lineages based on independent datasets, (2) the level of sequence divergence observed between these lineages relative to other genera (i.e., Bathyergus and Georychus), and (3) different patterns of chromosomal evolution, with Cryptomys sensu stricto being karyotypically conserved (2N=54) and Coetomys exhibiting high karyotypic diversity (2N=40-78).

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Evidence for rodent-common and species-typical limb and digit use in eating, derived from a comparative analysis of ten rodent species.

Order Rodentia comprises a vast portion of mammalian species (1814 species), which occupy extremely diverse habitats requiring very distinct motor specializations (e.g. burrowing, hopping, climbing, flying and swimming). Although early classification of paw use ability suggests rodents are impoverished relative to primates and make little use of their paws, there have been no systematic investigations of paw use in rodents. The present study was undertaken to describe limb/paw movements in a variety of common rodents. The movements used for handling sunflower seeds and other foods were videorecorded and analyzed in the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), laboratory mouse (Mus musculus), laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus), gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), Richardson's ground squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonni), prairie dog (Cynomus parvidens), and Canadian beaver (Castor americanus). The results suggested five order-common movements of food handling: (1) locating food by sniffing, (2) grasping food by mouth, (3) sitting back on the haunches to eat, (4) grasping the food using an elbow-in movement, and (5) manipulate the food with the digits. Different species displayed species-typical specializations including (1) bilateral grasping with the paws (gerbil), (2) unilateral grasping with a paw (beaver), (3) unilateral holding (ground squirrels), (4) various grip and digit postures (all species), (5) unilateral object removal from the mouth (gerbil), (6) bilateral thumb holding (squirrels), and (7) simultaneous holding/manipulation of two objects (squirrels). Only the guinea pig did not handle food with its paws, suggesting its behavior is regressive. The existence of a core pattern of paw and digit use in rodents suggests that skilled limb and paw movements originate at least with the common ancestors of the rodent, and likely the common ancestor to rodent and primate lineages, while species-typical movements suggest specialization/regression of limb use has occurred in a number of mammalian orders.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Revisiting the Glires concept--phylogenetic analysis of nuclear sequences.

The so-called Glires hypothesis postulates a sister-group relationship between Rodentia (e.g., rat and mouse) and Lagomorpha (e.g., rabbit). Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have yielded incongruent results, and either supported or refuted the Glires grouping. In order to study this inconsistency we have reconstructed phylogenetic trees based on data sets of 20 orthologous nuclear protein coding genes (6441 aa, sites) and 12 mitochondrial protein coding genes (3559 aa sites). The size of the nuclear data set is considerably larger than any comparable data set hitherto used to study the Glires concept. Analysis of the nuclear data strongly supported the phylogenetic tree (frog, chicken, ((rat, mouse), (rabbit, (human, (cattle, dog))))), while the mt data could not conclusively resolve the position of rabbit relative to that of human. This result was supported by all methods. Thus, the Glires hypothesis was rejected by this study.

Animals↗