title: Use of a cytogenetic whole-genome comparison to resolve phylogenetic relationships among three species: implications for mammalian systematics and conservation biology.
abstract: The objective was to apply a novel modification of a genome-wide, comparative cytogenetic technique (comparative genomic hybridization, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH)), to study species belonging to the myrmecophagous (ant/termite eating) mammalian orders/superorders (Pholidota, Tubulidentata, Carnivora, and Xenarthra), as a model for other applications in mammalian systematics and conservation biology. In this study, CGH was applied to high-quality metaphase spreads of pangolin (Pholidota), using probes of sloth and canine (Xenarthra and Carnivora, respectively) genomic DNA labeled with different fluorophores, thereby facilitating analysis of the visible color spectrum on pangolin karyotypes. Our results posited that pholidotes are closer to carnivores than to xenarthrans, which confirmed the current consensus that myrmecophagy in these mammalian lineages was more likely because of homoplasy (convergent evolution) than being an ancestral character. Since the modified CGH technique used is genome-wide, has chromosome-level resolution, and does not need full genome sequencing, it has considerable potential in systematics and other fields.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology and Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hon-Tsen
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Gwo-Chin
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Dong-Jay
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shih-Chien
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: Ting-Li
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hsien-Shao
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: Wen-Hsiang
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Sheng-Hai
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chyi-Chyang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002965:Classification / Q000379:methods; D055028:Comparative Genomic Hybridization / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D016678:Genome; D059646:Genome Size; D008322:Mammals / Q000145:classification*; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004247:DNA