title: [Comparative chromosome painting shows the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) has a highly conserved karyotype].
abstract: We have established a comparative chromosome map between red panda (Ailurus fulgens, 2n = 36) and dog by chromosome painting with biotin-labelled chromosome-specific probes of the dog. Dog probes specific for the 38 automates delineated 71 homologous segments in the metaphase chromosomes of red panda. Of the 38 autosomal paints, 18 probes each delineated one homologous segment in red panda genome, while the other 20 ones each detected two to five homologous segments. The dog X chromosome-specific paint delineated the whole X chromosome of the red panda. The results indicate that at least 28 fissions (breaks), 49 fusions and 4 inversions were needed to "convert" the dog karyotype to that of the red panda, suggesting that extensive chromosome rearrangements differentiate the karyotypes of red panda and dog. Based on the established comparative chromosome homologies of dog and domestic cat, we could infer that there were 26 segments of conserved synteny between red panda and domestic cat. Comparative analysis of the distribution patterns of conserved segments defined by dog paints in red panda and domestic cat genomes revealed at least 2 cryptic inversions in two large chromosomal regions of conserved synteny between red panda and domestic cat. The karyotype of red panda shows high degree of homology with that of domestic cat.
authors.affiliation: Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Wen-Hui
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Jin-Huan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yun-Fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Feng-Tang
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002335:Carnivora / Q000235:genetics*; D002415:Cats / Q000235:genetics; D019457:Chromosome Breakage; D007446:Chromosome Inversion; D002874:Chromosome Mapping / Q000379:methods; D020223:Chromosome Painting / Q000379:methods*; D002875:Chromosomes; D004285:Dogs / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D007621:Karyotyping / Q000379:methods; D026801:Synteny / Q000235:genetics*; D014960:X Chromosome