title: Hypervariable genomic variation to reconstruct the natural history of populations: lessons from the big cats.
abstract: The extent and nature of variation in hypervariable regions DNA have been used in the past as a means to infer the natural histories of populations. We review the interpretation of the extent of genetic diversity for minisatellite DNA in the cheetah to estimate the timing of a population bottleneck in the species and the potential application of a second class of hypervariable DNA, microsatellite DNA, as a molecular tool to examine the natural histories of felid populations. A calibration curve relating the degree of allele fragment sharing in individuals to relatedness in a captive pedigree of cheetahs is presented. This measurement has important applications for management of potential matings in captive management situations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Viral Carcinogenesis, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, MD 21702-1201, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menotti-Raymond
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D002612:Acinonyx / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001483:Base Sequence; D003241:Consanguinity; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009656:North America; D010375:Pedigree